Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated annually on February 14th. It is marked by exchanging gifts, flowers, and candy between loved ones. The holiday originates from the legend of Saint Valentine. In Rome, Emperor Claudius II, outlawed marriage because he believed single men were the most fit soldiers, but Saint Valentine continued to marry people. Emperor Claudius discovered Valentine’s marriages and ordered him to be put to death. Some sources allege that St. Valentine also helped people escape harsh prisons, and wrote letters to them. Allegedly, before he died he signed a letter: “From your Valentine,” which is how the tradition became. During the Middle Ages, and after his death, Saint Valentine became very popular amongst Europeans.
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The origins of Valentine’s Day are unclear, but today many people celebrate the day romantically and platonically. Valentine’s Day is primarily celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. People began writing formal notes for Valentine’s Day in Europe during the 1500s. In America, it became popular to hand out Valentines around the early 1700s. Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced Valentines in the late 1800s. The Valentines were elaborate, with lace, ribbon bows, and bright colors. Ready-made cards are easy to use today, and as many as 145 million people exchange Valentine’s Day cards annually.
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A common symbol of Valentine’s Day is Cupid, the Roman God of Love. He is commonly seen with a bow and arrow, as Roman legend say that anyone struck by his arrow would cause uncontrollable love and romantic desire. Birds, like doves and swans are also a symbol of Valentine’s Day, because it is believed that birds began to mate in mid-February.
Valentine’s Day is a worldwide celebration and today, children exchange Valentines amongst each other and have school parties with candy and treats. Valentine’s Day between couples may mean the giving of gifts such as chocolate or other candies, flowers, handwritten cards, and jewelry. Couples also splurge on dinner reservations at fancy restaurants to celebrate the day of love. Singles may refuse to celebrate Valentine’s Day altogether or celebrate platonic love between their friends. Offshoot holidays of Valentines Day like “Galantines Day” are increasingly popular for those who do not celebrate Valentine’s with a romantic partner. Galentine’s Day celebrates female friendships and can be celebrated before or on Valentine’s Day. Regardless of how you celebrate, Valentine’s Day is filled with long standing traditions, that date back to the Ancient World.