ESL Blog: Valentine's Day

Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. Valentine's Day is a special day for lovers and sweethearts. They exchange gifts such as candy, flowers, jewelry, books and clothing. On this day children also give cards and gifts to their parents, grandparents oe even teachers.

In some elementary schools there could be parties. Children give each other a small Valentine card, called "valentine".

So St. Valentine's Day is a spacial day. But who was this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England.

Saint Valentine's Day, simply called Valentine's Day, is always on February 14th. People in many countries around the world celebrate Valentine's Day, but it remains a working day in all of them. Valentine's Day is not a public holiday. Government offices, stores, schools and other organizations are open as usual. Public transit systems run on their regular schedule. Restaurants may be busier than usual as many people go out for an evening with their spouse or partner. Valentine's Day is also a very popular date for weddings.

The original "St. Valentine" was a celebration of one of the Christian saints named Valentinus. This day first became associated with romantic love. By the 15th century lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers and sending greeting cards known as "valentines". So the "valentine" is a special card for Valentine's Day with a message of love and a picture of a red heart which is a modern Valentine's Day symbol. The symbols also include doves and the figure of the Cupid.

In Roman mythology, Cupid is a God of of desire, affection and love that is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who have fallen in love are sometimes said to be 'struck by Cupid's arrow.

Cupid is also known in Latin as Amor ("Love") or in Greek mythilogy - Erotes (Eros). In Roman mythology Cupid was the son of Venus (goddess of love) and Mars (god of war). In the 15th century, singing and spoken "valentines" were slowly replaced by written letters in Europe. The first written "valentine" is credited to Charles, the Duke of Orleans, who wrote love poems to his wife while he was in prison in 1415. By the beginning of the 16th century, valentines were almost always written.

In the 1800s valentines were made by factory workers. Black and white pictures were painted by the workers in the early part of the century. By the end of the 1800s, the cards were made by machines. These cards were elaborately decorated with gold leaf, satin, lace and flowers. In 1840, the first mass produced valentine's cards where made in America. Esther Howland, who sold $5,000 worth of the cards in her first year, created them. Since the 19th century, some companies started producing greeting cards for Valentine's Day.

Here is a Valentine's Day conversation. Please, watch this video and listen carefully.