Valentines Day Essay

302 Words2 Pages
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,is a holiday observed on February 14 honoring one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. It was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD, and was later deleted from the General Roman Calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had 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"). Modern Valentine's Day symbols 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. ____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________ Symbols: hearts, cupid, flowers, chocolate, and doves colors: red & pink Valentine's Day is a Christian Festival commemorating the martyrdom of St. Valentine on February 14, 270. St. Valentine was a third century priest. He performed secret marriages because the Roman emporor thought more single men would enlist in the army than married men. The first Valentine's Day was February 14, 469 A.D. By the 14th century its religious significance was overshadowed by nonreligious customs still associated with the day. The most plausible belief is the medieval European belief that birds begin to mate on February 14th. This suggested that lads and lasses should choose lovers and exchange gifts on February 14th. After postal systems were established homade messages- called valentines- became common. Usually verse and tender in nature, sometimes comic or coarse. After World War I the greeting card business
Open Document