Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, is celebrated on February 14. Valentine’s Day originated as a Christian feast day honouring a martyr named Valentine. Through latefolk traditions, it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions. It has been celebrated as the day of romance since the 14th century. Another legend says that St Valentine was executed on February 14 as a punishment for performing secret marriages to save the husbands from going to war, as they were banned by the Roman emperor Claudius II.
Valentine's Day offers every individual the opportunity to express special feelings for his or her special someone. It is also an occasion for each to show appreciation, gratitude and thankfulness for the kindness or favour received from others. Valentine’s Day is a day for celebrating love - not just romantic love between couples. It’s a day to celebrate love with our friends, family and ourselves! It is celebrated worldwide regardless of its origin.
There are a few ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day, such as giving a bouquet of flowers, sharing a candlelit dinner and giving heart-shaped chocolate boxes to your loved ones. Now, there are also some unusual ways of celebrating Valentine’s in different countries.
In Norway, secret admirers send the person they desire funny little poems called ‘gaekkebrev’. In these poems, the only clue to their identity is a dot representing each letter of his name.
If the recipient guesses who the poem is from, they earn themselves an Easter egg on Easter. If she's stumped, the man reveals his identity and the woman must give him an egg.
While in Wales, they make love spoons and present them to their partner. The designs they carved are symbolic and often have hidden clues. For example, the number of beads attached represented the number of children the man was expecting his beloved to produce.
Furthermore, in Iraq, they have a ‘feast of love’, decorating red apples to represent the original love story: Adam and Eve. It diverges from the biblical tale in that an apple is believed to bring prosperity and love, not the end of earthly paradise. How interesting these traditions are!
No matter if you’re single or attached, you can always celebrate Valentine’s Day. Remember to always stay loving and caring to everyone. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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