Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine,[1] is an

annual holiday celebrated on February 14. It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day
honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, and is recognized as a significant cultural and
commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any
country.
Several martyrdom stories associated with the various Valentines that were connected to February
14 were added to later martyrologies,[2] including a popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine
of Rome which indicated he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were
forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman
Empire.[3] According to legend, during his imprisonment, Saint Valentine healed the daughter of his
jailer, Asterius,[4] and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a
farewell.[5]
The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th
century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an
occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers,
offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). In Europe, Saint
Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s
heart", as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's
Malady).[6] Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and
the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to
mass-produced greeting cards.[7]
Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion,[8] as well as in the Lutheran
Church.[9] Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, albeit
on July 6 and July 30, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the
latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).[10]

Valentine's Day
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.
Many people see Valentine's Day as a special day to express one's love for
another.©iStockphoto.com/mammamaart

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 in many countries, including Australia, Canada, the United
Kingdom and the United States. However, restaurants, hotels and shopping centers may be busy around this
time of the year.
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
Hearts, the colors red and pink, roses, images and statues of cupids, and cupids’ bows and arrows symbolize
the feeling of romance and love on Valentine’s Day. 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 fall in love are
sometimes said to be “struck by Cupid's arrow”. The day focuses on love, romance, appreciation and
friendship.

PROS AND CONS OF VALENTINE’S DAY

CLARA FEB 14, 2012PROS AND CONS
Pros:
 You get to be festive and wear pink ribbons and demonstrate merriness.

 Strangers are likely to give you free chocolate.

 If you have a significant other, the two of you are probably going to have a jolly
romantic time.
 People talk about the valentines they received from their family, which is so fun,
because I sort of thought I was the only loser whose parents did that.
 Your classes are a little bit sillier, because it’s a holiday and everyone’s high on sugar
and love.
 Your dad might send you a “Happy Valentine’s Day” text!!
 Crazy things happen, such as:
This is Fusion, one of Brown’s dance groups, performing in the Blue Room.
Unannounced. It was spectacular. I could only take spontaneous video on my phone
though, so forgive the quality.
Cons:
 Being single on Valentine’s day is really not fun (incidentally, having a perpetually-
busy boyfriend is also somewhat not-fun, but being single is in my experience more
depressing).
 You don’t have to eat anything other than cookies and cupcakes, so you may spend
the entire day oscillating between sugar high and epic crash.
 There is intense pressure to be cute and romantic.
 Sometimes you just want to curl up in bed with a movie and not be acting out a sad
scene from a bad movie in which the girl is alone on Valentine’s day, because that’s
not what’s up.
 Your friends will potentially have dates of their own and therefore cannot hang out
with you.
 They made that really terrible movie about it.