Valentines Day

About Valentines Day

Saint Valentines Day - February 14th

Valentines day is a day that celebrates love, especially between couples. It is celebrated in many countries by people of many religions,Although it was originally a Christian holiday, today it is celebrated in many countries by anyone who wants to celebrate the spirit of love. It is celebrated by the exchanging of Valentines and other gifts and showing love towards each other. It is sometimes jokingly and lovingly referred to as “Single’s Awareness day”.

Valentines Day History:

Little is known about the original Saint Valentine, in fact, there were several saints known as Valentine. The holiday of Saint Valentines Day was originally a day to celebrate 2 Saint Valentines, Valentine of Rome, and Valentine of Terni, both martyred in the early second and third centuries. Distinction between these two saints no longer exists, but many stories exist explaining the original saint. One such stories explains that Valentine (no proof as to which one) was arrested and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II, who tried to get Valentine to convert to roman paganism. Valentine refused, and tried to convert the emperor to Christianity, he was then executed, but not before healing his captors blind daughter.
No romantic association originally existed, but according to modern created legends, Roman Emperor Claudius II made a law stating that all men must remain single. Valentine  performed marriage ceremonies for couples secretly anyway. He was eventually discovered and arrested, but before he was killed he wrote the first valentine to his captors daughter and his true love, who he had healed. It was signed, “From your Valentine”
In Ancient Rome, a holiday called Lupercalia was celebrated from February 13th- February 15th, promoting fertility. Some believe that Valentines day began as a Christianized version of Lupercalia.
In 1400, Paris established the “High Court of Love” on February 14th to protect women. This is believed to be when Valentines day began to be celebrated as a loving day.

Valentines Day Symbols:

Cupid:
Cupid was the Roman God of love, based on the Greek God of love, Eros. He was so beautiful, that he could make people go weak at the knees. He originally had two arrows, one for love, and one for hate, which he shot at Gods and mortals alike. He liked to make a mess but making one person fall in love with another person, and making that person hate them. He ended up accidentally pricking himself, and falling in love with a mortal named Psyche who could never know who he was. In the Renaissance, Artists began painting cupid as baby angels called Putti. That is why Cupid is now pictured as a baby.

The Valentine:
The first Valentine was said to have been sent by Saint Valentine himself, though no proof backs this up. It was signed “From your Valentine”. the first recorded Valentine was sent in the 15th century from Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife. In 1797, companies first began selling valentines to people who could not create their own. England began making them in factories in the 1800s, originally with real lace, and eventually with paper lace in the mid 1800s. They were first mass produced in America by Esther Howland after 1847. Today, many companies create many different kinds of valentines. They are exchanged on Valentines day, not only between couples, but between friends, family members, coworkers, classmates, and others as well.

References & Resources

http://www.history.com/content/valentine
Page filled with games, videos, facts, and tons of fun things to do relating to the holiday
http://holidays.kaboose.com/valentines-day/
Craft ideas, card ideas, recipes, and more.
http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/valentines/games.htm
Valentines day games for kids.

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