Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14. It is a festival of
romantic love and many people give cards, letters, flowers or presents
to their spouse or partner. They may also arrange a romantic meal in a
restaurant or night in a hotel. Common symbols of Valentine’s Day are
hearts, red roses and Cupid.
Valentine’s Day is a time when people show feelings of love,
affection and friendship. It is celebrated in many ways worldwide and
falls on February 14 each year.
Happy Valentines Day To all Naijaloadites, we love you all… Read more below,After the Card:
What do people do?
Many people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day by showing
appreciation for the people they love or adore. Some people take their
loved ones for a romantic dinner at a restaurant while others may choose
this day to propose or get married. Many people give greeting cards,
chocolates, jewelry or flowers, particularly roses, to their partners or
admirers on Valentine’s Day.
It is also a time to appreciate friends in some social circles and
cultures. For example, Valentine’s Day in Finland refers to “Friend’s
day”, which is more about remembering all friends rather than focusing
solely on romance. Valentine’s Day in Guatemala is known as Day of Love
and Friendship). It is similar to Valentine’s Day customs and traditions
countries such as the United States but it is also a time for many to
show their appreciation for their friends.
Public life
Valentine’s Day is not a public
holiday. Government offices, stores, schools and other organizations are
open as usual. Public transit systems run on their regular schedule.
Restaurants may be busier than usual as many people go out for an
evening with their spouse or partner. Valentine’s Day is also a very
popular date for weddings.
Background
The origins of Valentine’s Day are not clear but many sources believe
that it stems from the story of St Valentine, a Roman priest who was
martyred on or around February 14 in the year 270 CE. How he became the
patron saint of lovers remains a mystery but one theory is that the
church used the day of St Valentine’s martyrdom to Christianize the old
Roman Lupercalia, a pagan festival held around the middle of February.
The ancient ceremony included putting girls’ names in a box and
letting the boys draw them out. Couples would then be paired off until
the following year. The Christian church substituted saints’ names for
girls’ names in hope that the participant would model his life after the
saint whose name he drew. However, it was once again girls’ names that
ended up in the box by the 16th century.
Eventually the custom of sending anonymous cards or messages to those
whom one admired became the accepted way of celebrating Valentine’s
Day. There was an increase in interest in Valentine’s Day, first in the
United States and then in Canada, in the mid-19th century. Early
versions of Valentine cards fashioned of satin and lace and ornamented
with flowers, ribbons, and images of cupids or birds appeared in England
in the 1880s.
Symbols
The most common Valentine’s Day
symbols are the heart, particularly in reds and pinks, and pictures or
models of Cupid. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure
with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the
hearts of people.
People who have fallen in love are sometimes said to be ‘struck by
Cupid’s arrow. Other symbols of Valentine’s Day are couples in loving
embraces and the gifts of flowers, chocolate, red roses and lingerie
that couples often give each other.
Some Quotes we can share:
>Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another.
>If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.
>Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.
>When you love someone all your saved up wishes start coming out.
>I know of only one duty, and that is to love.
>I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you till China and Africa meet and
the river jumps over the mountain and the salmon sing in the street.
>A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others.
>If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.
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