Today, February 14th, is celebrated as Saint Valentine’s Day in the United States. Saint Valentine’s Day, more often simply referred to as ‘Valentine’s Day’, is a holiday celebrating love and affection between romantic couples. This holiday has its origins in Christianity, though today it is a holiday celebrated by people of all religions in the United States. This day is named after an early Christian martyr*, Saint Valentine.
This holiday was first established in 496 AD, but I imagine Valentine’s Day was celebrated very differently then compared to how it is celebrated now. In fact this holiday only became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages in Europe, during the years 1100-1300. It was at this time that love poems and later Valentine’s Day cards were introduced into the celebration of this holiday. Now, card, chocolates, flowers, even presents like jewelry, are often exchanged between couples on this day. Although, I think it is fair to say that men often do more of the giving of the gifts on Valentine’s Day and women do more of the receiving. Both men and women are equally likely to give their loved ones cards. The US Greeting Card Association believes that approximately 190 million valentines** are sent each year in the United States. Now, that is a lot of cards! Many of these cards are not given by adults in romantic relationships but by children who also participate in this holiday. Children often decorate their classrooms, dress in red or wear clothes with hearts on them, exchange cards, and give candy to their friends at school. One of the most popular Valentine’s Day candies are little sweet crunchy*** hearts with messages about love on them. You can see exactly what these candy hearts look like and learn more about these traditional American Valentine’s Day candies at the website for the company that makes them, Necco.
http://www.necco.com/OurBrands/Default.asp?BrandID=8
The type of short messages these hearts have on them, include:
TRUE LOVE
LET’S KISS
LOVE
ALL MINE
YOU & ME
LOVE HER
#1 FAN
all of these messages are about love and friendship, which are perfect for celebrating Valentine’s Day.
* martyr = a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs
** valentines = Valentine’s Day cards
*** crunchy = making a sharp noise when bitten or crushed
