Embedded Files
Feb. 14th
Valentine's Day - coloring sheets
Bet You Didn't Know - Valentine's Day - video
Valentine's Day for Kids- video
History of Valentine's Day - text
Animated History of St.Valentine - video
How Chocolate is made - video
How Candy Hearts are made - video
Newsela - History of Valentine's Day
Every February 14, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones. It is a day of romance, all in the name of St. Valentine. Who is this mysterious saint? How did Valentine's Day, as we now know it, come about? The history of this holiday goes all the way back to ancient Roman ceremonies and the customs of Victorian England.
The legend of St. Valentine
The legend of St. Valentine
The history of Valentine’s Day and the man it is named for is mysterious. We know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance. We also know that St. Valentine’s Day features traditions from both Christianity and Ancient Rome. Just who St. Valentine was, however, is not known for sure.
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. According to one legend, Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine saw the injustice of this rule. So he went against Claudius and continued to perform marriages in secret. When his actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl. Before his death, he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine." People still use the expression today.
Origins of Valentine's Day
Origins of Valentine's Day
Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to mark the date of Valentine’s death. Others claim that the Christian church timed the holiday in order to compete with the Roman celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated on February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture.
The festival was kicked off by members of the Luperci, a group of Roman priests. The priests would sacrifice an animal such as a goat. They would then cut the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into sacrificial blood and take to the streets.
Roman women believed the sacrificial blood would make it easier for them to have babies in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big bowl. The city’s unmarried men would each choose a name and become paired for the year with their chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
Lupercalia continued to be celebrated during the initial rise of Christianity. At the end of the fifth century it became outlawed. At the same time, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. Eventually, the day became associated with love.
Typical Valentine's Day greetings
Typical Valentine's Day greetings
In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day became popular around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small gifts or handwritten notes.
By 1900, improvements were made in printing technology. Printed cards began to replace written letters. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their feelings. Cheaper postage rates also made sending Valentine’s Day greetings more popular.
Americans probably began exchanging handmade valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate cards with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”
Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. Valentine’s Day is the second-largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind only Christmas.
Kid Books
Happy Valentine's day Little Critter
Report abuse