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Valentine's Day History and Traditions

Valentine's Day is celebrated annually on February 14th and commemorates love and affection. The holiday originated from early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in the 5th century. On Valentine's Day, lovers traditionally express their love by exchanging flowers, confectionery, and greeting cards. In modern times, people send mass-produced cards and gifts like roses and chocolate. Approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US, half of which are given to family rather than romantic partners. The popularity of e-cards and digital greetings has also grown significantly.

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37 views1 page

Valentine's Day History and Traditions

Valentine's Day is celebrated annually on February 14th and commemorates love and affection. The holiday originated from early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in the 5th century. On Valentine's Day, lovers traditionally express their love by exchanging flowers, confectionery, and greeting cards. In modern times, people send mass-produced cards and gifts like roses and chocolate. Approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US, half of which are given to family rather than romantic partners. The popularity of e-cards and digital greetings has also grown significantly.

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2017­5­27 English Reading Comprehension ­ Comprensión de lectura en inglés

saberingles.com.ar Name:
Date:
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14
celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs
named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 500 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in
1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their
love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). 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.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart­shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the
19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass­produced greeting cards.

In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to all manner of gifts in the United
States. Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart­shaped box. In the 1980s, the
diamond industry began to promote Valentine's Day as an occasion for giving jewelry.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half
of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When you include the
valentine­exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people
receiving the most valentines. In some North American elementary schools, children decorate classrooms, exchange
cards, and are given sweets. The greeting cards of these students sometimes mention what they appreciate about each
other.

The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year,
digital means of creating and sending Valentine's Day greeting messages such as e­cards, love coupons or printable
greeting cards. An estimated 15 million e­valentines were sent in 2010.

While sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts is traditional in the UK, Valentine's Day has various regional
customs. In Norfolk, a character called 'Jack' Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for
children. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person. In Wales, many people
celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St Dwynwen's Day) on January 25 instead of (or as well as) Valentine's Day. The day
commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Valentine's Day". You
can explore more on the Wikipedia website. The text and the images are used here only for educational purposes.

http://saberingles.com.ar/reading/valentinesday.html 1/1

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