valentine.doc

Valentines DayFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Valentine day)For other uses, see Valentine and Valentines Day (disambiguation).Valentines DayAntique Valentines cardAlso calledSaint Valentines DayValentinesObserved byMany countriesTypeCultural, Christian, commercialSignificanceLoveand affection celebrated between loversDateFebruary 14 (it is a different date in some countries)ObservancesSending greeting cards and gifts, datingSaint Valentines Day, commonly shortened to Valentines Day,123 is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.13 The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI. 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 Valentines Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.4Contents1 Saint Valentine1.1 Historical facts1.2 Legends2 Attested traditions2.1 Lupercalia2.2 Chaucers love birds2.3 Medieval period and the English Renaissance2.4 Modern times3 Antique and vintage Valentines, 185019503.1 Valentines of the mid-19th and early 20th centuries3.2 Postcards, pop-ups, and mechanical Valentines, circa 190019303.3 Childrens Valentines4 Similar days celebrating love4.1 In the West4.1.1 Europe4.1.2 Mexico, Central and South America4.2 Asia4.2.1 Japan4.2.2 Similar Asian traditions4.3 India4.4 Middle East5 Conflict with Islamic countries and political parties5.1 Saudi Arabia5.2 Pakistan5.3 Iran5.4 Malaysia 6 See also 7 References 8 Related informationedit Saint ValentineFor more details on this topic, see Saint Valentine.edit Historical factsNumerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.5 The Valentines honored on February 14 are Valentine of Rome (Valentinus presb. m. Romae) and Valentine of Terni (Valentinus ep. Interamnensis m. Romae).6 Valentine of Rome7 was a priest in Rome who was martyred about AD 269 and was buried on the Via Flaminia. His relics are at the Church of Saint Praxed in Rome,8 and at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland.Valentine of Terni9 became bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) about AD 197 and is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Emperor Aurelian. He is also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than Valentine of Rome. His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni (Basilica di San Valentino).10The Catholic Encyclopedia also speaks of a third saint named Valentine who was mentioned in early martyrologies under date of February 14. He was martyred in Africa with a number of companions, but nothing more is known about him.11No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. By the time a Saint Valentine became linked to romance in the 14th century, distinctions between Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni were utterly lost.12In the 1969 revision of the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints, the feast day of Saint Valentine on February 14 was removed from the General Roman Calendar and relegated to particular (local or even national) calendars for the following reason: Though the memorial of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14.13 The feast day is still celebrated in Balzan (Malta) where relics of the saint are claimed to be found, and also throughout the world by Traditionalist Catholics who follow the older, pre-Second Vatican Council calendar. February 14 is also celebrated as St Valentines Day in other Christian denominations; it has, for example, the rank of commemoration in the calendar of the Church of England and other parts of the Anglican Communion.14edit LegendsSaint Valentine of Terniand his disciples.The Early Medieval acta of either Saint Valentine were expounded briefly in Legenda Aurea.15 According to that version, St Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing the blind daughter of his jailer.Since Legenda Aurea still provided no connections whatsoever with sentimental love, appropriate lore has been embroidered in modern times to portray Valentine as a priest who refused an unattested law attributed to Roman Emperor Claudius II, allegedly ordering that young men remain single. The Emperor supposedly did this to grow his army, believing that married men did not make for good soldiers. The priest Valentine, however, secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young men. When Claudius found out about this, he had Valentine arrested and thrown in jail.There is an additional modern embellishment to The Golden Legend, provided by American Greetings to H, and widely repeated despite having no historical basis whatsoever. On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he would have written the first valentine card himself, addressed to a young girl variously identified as his beloved,16 as the jailers daughter whom he had befriended and healed,17 or both. It was a note that read From your Valentine.16edit Attested traditionsedit LupercaliaMain article: LupercaliaThough popular modern sources link unspecified Greco-Roman February holidays alleged to be devoted to fertility and love to St. Valentines Day, Professor Jack Oruch of the University of Kansas argued that prior to Chaucer, no links between the Saints named Valentinus and romantic love existed.18 Earlier links as described above were focused on sacrifice rather than romantic love. In the ancient Athenian calendar the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia, observed February 1315, was an archaic rite connected to fertility. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning Juno the purifier or the chaste Juno, was celebrated on February 1314. Pope Gelasius I (492496) abolished Lupercalia.Geoffrey Chaucerby Thomas Occleve (1412)edit Chaucers love birdsThe first recorded association of Valentines Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer19 Chaucer wrote:For this was on seynt Volantynys dayWhan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.For this was Saint Valentines Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.20 A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381.21 (When they were married eight months later, they were each only 15 years old).Readers have uncritically assumed that Chaucer was referring to February 14 as Valentines Day; however, mid-February is an unlikely time for birds to be mating in England. Henry Ansgar Kelly has pointed out22 that in the liturgical calendar, May 2 is the saints day for Valentine of Genoa. This St. Valentine was an early bishop of Genoa who died around AD 307.23Chaucers Parliament of Foules is set in a fictional context of an old tradition, but in fact there was no such tradition before Chaucer. The speculative explanation of sentimental customs, posing as historical fact, had their origins among 18th-century antiquaries, notably Alban Butler, the author of Butlers Lives of Saints, and have been perpetuated even by respectable modern scholars. Most notably, the idea that Valentines Day customs perpetuated those of the Roman Lupercalia has been accepted uncritically and repeated, in various forms, up to the present.24edit Medieval period and the English RenaissanceUsing the language of the law courts for the rituals of courtly love, a High Court of Love was established in Paris on Valentines Day in 1400. The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women. Judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading.2526 The earliest surviving valentine is a 15th-century rondeau written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife, which commences.Je suis desja damour tannMa tres doulce Valentine.Charles dOrlans, Rondeau VI, lines 1227At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415.28Valentines Day is mentioned ruefully by Ophelia in Hamlet (16001601):To-morrow is Saint Valentines day,All in the morning betime,And I a maid at your window,To be your Valentine.Then up he rose, and donnd his clothes,And duppd the chamber-door;Let in the maid, that out a maidNever departed more.William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5John Donne used the legend of the marriage of the birds as the starting point for his Epithalamion celebrating the marriage of Elizabeth, daughter of James I of England, and Frederick V, Elector Palatine on Valentines Day:Hayle Bishop Valentine whose day this isAll the Ayre is thy DioceseAnd all the chirping QueristersAnd other birds ar thy parishionersThou marryest every yeareThe Lyrick Lark, and the graue whispering Doue,The Sparrow that neglects his life for loue,The houshold bird with the redd stomacherThou makst the Blackbird speede as soone,As doth the Goldfinch, or the HalcyonThe Husband Cock lookes out and soone is speddAnd meets his wife, which brings her feather-bed.This day more cheerfully than ever shineThis day which might inflame thy selfe old Valentine.John Donne, Epithalamion Vpon Frederick Count Palatine and the Lady Elizabeth marryed on St. Valentines dayThe verse Roses are red echoes conventions traceable as far back as Edmund Spensers epic The Faerie Queene (1590):She bathd with roses red, and violets blew,And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew.29The modern clich Valentines Day poem can be found in the collection of English nursery rhymes Gammer Gurtons Garland (1784):The rose is red, the violets blueThe honeys sweet, and so are youThou are my love and I am thineI drew thee to my ValentineThe lot was cast and then I drewAnd Fortune said it shoud be you.30Valentines Day postcard, circa 1910edit Modern timesIn 1797, a British publisher issued The Young Mans Valentine Writer, which contained scores of suggested sentimental verses for the young lover unable to compose his own. Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called “mechanical valentines,” and a reduction in postal rates in the next century ushered in the less personal but easier practice of mailing Valentines. That, in turn, made it possible for the first time to exchange cards anonymously, which is taken as the reason for the sudden appearance of racy verse in an era otherwise prudishly Victorian.31Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 19th century that they were assembled in factories. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid-19th century.32 In the UK, just under half the population spend money on their Valentines and around 1.3 billion pounds is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent.33 The reinvention of Saint Valentines Day in the 1840s has been traced by Leigh Eric Schmidt.34 As a writer in Grahams American Monthly observed in 1849, Saint Valentines Day. is becoming, nay it has become, a national holyday.35 In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (18281904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.3637Child dressed in Valentines Day-themed clothing.Her father operated a large book and stationery store, but Howland took her inspiration from an English Valentine she had received from a business associate of her father.3839 Intrigued with the idea of making similar Valentines, Howland began her business by importing paper lace and floral decorations from England.3940 The English practice of sending Valentines cards was established enough to feature as a plot device in Elizabeth Gaskells Mr. Harrisons Confessions (1851): I burst in with my explanations: The valentine I know nothing about. It is in your handwriting, said he coldly.41 Since 2001, the Greeting Card Association has been giving an annual Esther Howland Award for a Greeting Card Visionary.37Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.4 The mid-19th century Valentines Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow.42In 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, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentines 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 valentine-exchange cards made in school activities the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines.36 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 Valentines Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. An estimated 15 million e-valentines were sent in 2010.36 Buster Brown Valentine postcard by Richard Felton Outcault, early years of 20th centuryA While sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts is traditional in the UK, Valentines 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 Dwynwens Day) on January 25 instead of (or as well as) Valentines Day. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers. In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentines Day is known simply as Saint Valentin, and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries. In Spain Valentines Day is known as San Valentn and is celebrated the same way as in the UK, although in Catalonia it is largely superseded by similar festivities of rose and/or book giving on La Diada de Sant Jordi (Saint Georges Day). In Portugal it is more commonly referred to as Dia dos Namorados (Lovers Day / Day of those that are in love with each other).In Denmark and Norway, Valentines Day (14 Feb) is known as Valentinsdag. It is not celebrated to a large extent, but is largely imported from American culture, and some people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one. The cut-flower industry in particular is still working on promoting the holiday. In Sweden it is called Alla hjrtans dag (All Hearts Day) and was launched in the 1960s by the flower industrys commercial interests, and due to the influence of American culture. It is not an official holiday, but its celebration is recognized and sales of cosmetics and flowers for this holiday are only exceeded by those for Mothers Day.In Finland Valentines Day is called Ystvnpiv which translates into Friends day. As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering all your friends, not only your loved ones. In Estonia Valentines Day is called Sbrapev, which has the same meaning.In Slovenia, a proverb says that St Valentine brings the keys of roots, so on February 14, plants and flowers start to grow. Valentines Day has been celebrated as the day when the first work in the vineyards and in the fields commences. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Nevertheless, it has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. The day of love is traditionally March 12, the Saint Gregorys day. Another proverb says Valentin prvi spomladin (Valentine first saint of spring), as in some places (especially White Carniola) Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring.In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is Dragobete, which is celebrated on February 24. It is named after a character from Romani