Short History of Valentine
Valentine’s day is a fun celebration each year, especially when you receive
candy and cards from your friends. There is a lot more to this day. Did you know
that Valentine’s Day is actually named after a real person called St. Valentine?
There are many stories and legends behind who the real St. Valentine was, but
most scholars agree that he was a martyr (a person who was killed for
his beliefs). Later in the Middle Ages, a great writer named Geoffrey Chaucer
wrote a poem as a present to King Richard II, who was going to be married soon.
In it, he mentioned St. Valentine, and over time, the idea of Valentine’s Day
became associated with the idea of love.
During the Victorian times (in the 1800s), Valentine’s Day became extremely
popular! Men and women spent a lot of time making beautiful Valentine’s cards
with ribbon, fancy paper and even lace. In those days, people were very reserved
and they did not often say what they were feeling. Valentine’s day gave them a
great way to express their feelings to someone they were in love with in an
anonymous manner (without showing their names). This meant that the sender would
remain a mystery until they could speak more freely. Even before this time, in
the late 1700s, printers would create large amounts of Valentine’s Day cards so
that friends and families could exchange them.
In the last few decades, Valentine’s day has changed a lot! Today we still
exchange cards, but many people buy ready-made cards instead. We also give
flowers (usually a bouquet of red roses) or chocolates as a gift to remind
people of our friendship and love for them. Older couples sometimes also
celebrate this day by exchanging other gifts and going out to dinner. Most
Valentine’s gifts and cards make use of the colors red and pink, and are
decorated with images of hearts or roses. Another common symbol of love on this
day is Cupid, the Roman god of love. He is usually shown as a little angel with
a bow and arrow. According to legend, anyone who is struck by his arrows will
fall in love.
Don’t forget that while it is great to remind people how much you value them
on Valentine’s Day, it isn’t the only time to do so. You can continue doing nice
things for people throughout the rest of the year too. Today, many people focus
on giving gifts on Valentine’s Day and some people even get quite stressed out
about it because they think they have to spend a lot of money on gifts! The main
thing to remember is that Valentine’s Day is all about showing people that you
love them and appreciate them. Sometimes the best way to do this is by doing
something nice for them or making them a little keepsake. To get started, have a
look at some of the easy but thoughtful suggestions below, or browse through the
resources to learn more about Valentine’s Day.
And..This Valentine is different for me. No flower, no chocolate...but a little surprise from my son.
Tian give me a letter...
Thanks Tian... I love you too...
(by: Veronica Lucy Indah. K)
