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Valentine's Day


February 14 is the day when candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones in the name of St. Valentine, a legendary a priest who served during the third century in Rome. Some folks even propose or get married on Valentine's Day.

When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men in order to ensure his supply of soldiers.

Valentine, it is said, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When word of Valentine's matrimonies leaked out, Claudius ordered that he be put to death on February 14, 269 A.D.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine".

Whatever the truth may be, Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine in 496 A.D. and, gradually, February 14 has became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine the patron saint of lovers.


Valentines

Sending valentines (gifts or greetings) to your sweetheart became a popular custom sometime in the eary 1600s; The first commercial cards appeared around 1800 and were usually sent anonymously. 



As early as 1822, an English official reported having to hire extra postal workers on this day.

Economic Value


American consumers are expected to spend approximately $8 billion on Valentine's Day gifts in 2012, according to the National Retail Federation. That's an average of $168 per shopper.  In 2011, approximately 200 million roses were sold, according to The Society of American Florists.

Valentine Romance

The first literary association of Valentine's Day 
with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

The poem was composed in honor of the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.

Most readers of the poem incorrectly assume that Chaucer is referring to February 14 as Valentine's Day. Mid-February, however, is an unlikely time for birds to be mating in England.

It is more likely that he is referring to May 2, the liturgical calendar's saints' day for Valentine of Genoa, an early bishop who died around AD 307.

Choosing Flowers

Be careful giving flowers. The choice of bouquet on Valentine's Day could convey more than you intend.

Presenting your lover with primroses suggests the opening of one's heart and the dawning of true love, but offer snapdragons and the message is plain: "go away!"



This kind of floral code, known as "florigraphy," was especially popular among the romantics of Victorian England about a hundred years ago. Each flower and tree had a meaning all its own. Presenting sprigs or blooms from a given plant was a shorthand way of saying "it was love at first sight!" (thornless roses) or "I am your slave forever" (wild geraniums).

Read more about how to Say It With Flowers




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