Valentine's Day
What 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 in 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 circles and social cultures. For example, Valentine's Day in Finland refers to "Friend's Day", which is more about remembering all friends rather than focusing exclusively on romance. Valentine's Day in Guatemala is known as Love and Friendship Day). It is similar to Valentine's Day customs and traditions such as the United States, but it is also a time for many to show their appreciation for their friends.
Valentine's Day is not a holiday in many countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. However, restaurants, hotels and malls may be busy at this time of year.
Background
The origins of Valentine's Day are not clear, but many sources believe it is derived 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 St. Valentine's Martyrdom Day to Christianize the ancient Roman Lupercalia, a pagan festival held in mid-February.
The ancient ceremony included putting the girls' names in a box and letting the boys take them out. The couples would then pair until the following year. The Christian church replaced the names of the saints by the names of the girls in the hope that the participant would model his life after the saint whose name he drew. However, it was once again names of girls who ended up in the box by the 16th century.
Finally, the custom of sending anonymous letters or messages to those whom one admired became the accepted way to celebrate 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-nineteenth century. Early versions of Valentine's cards satin and lace and adorned with flowers, ribbons and pictures of cupids or birds appeared in England in the 1880s.
Symbols
Hearts, red and pink colors, roses, images and statues of cupids, and bows and arrows of cupids 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, use your arrow to hit the hearts of people. It is sometimes said that people who fall in love are "struck by the arrow of Cupid." The day focuses on love, romance, appreciation and "friendship."
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