Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Valentine's Day
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.
Who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?
Some stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first valentine or greeting while he was in prison. It is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl, who may have been his jailer's daughter, who visited him during his confinement. before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "from your Valentine", an expression that is still in use today. In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popular in the seventeenth century. It became common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. In the early 1700s Americans began exchanging hand-made valentines. By the 1840s, valentines began to be mass-produced and sold. Today it is estimated that one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card sending holiday of the year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
