Valentine's Day in English speaking countries

The Day of Love is worth celebrating, as the British actor Sean Connery said "love may not make the world go round, but it makes the ride worthwhile."

Valentine's Day on February 14th, is widely celebrated in English speaking countries by young and old alike as the day of love and friendship.

It is traditional on this day for men and women to send to the one (or ones) they love a card with a romantic poem (see some examples below), but no-one signs the card with their name, we simply sign it with "be my Valentine!"

Usually you might have an idea who sent you the card, but the sometimes Not-knowing for sure who sent you the valentine card adds to the sense of mystery and romance.

In schools this is a major event, it's a chance to declare your love and find out who fancies you. Usually everybody gets two or three cards, and your friends will tease you about it. The whole day you might ask yourself "who sent me the valentine?", However, Valentine's Day is not only very popular with school children; people everywhere will be asking themselves "who is my mysterious lover?" "I wonder who sent me the flowers."
The whole day the senses are awakened, and you may feel butterflies in your stomach.

It is estimated that in the United States about 180 million red roses are sent on this day, as well as some 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, and millions of dollars are spent on romantic dinner, presents and cards.

Forgetting to send a Valentine's card to your girlfriend or boyfriend, husband or wife is almost as bad as forgetting your wedding anniversary!


How did Valentine's Day begin?

There are many legends connecting February and romantic love.

The main theory goes back to ancient Rome where people celebrated Lupercalia in February to honour fertility gods. In the fifth century Pope Gelasius tried to Christianise this pagan ritual by declaring February 14 as the date to commemorate Saint Valentine (a Christian Martyr).

The legend goes back to the third century when the Roman Emperor Claudius II passed a law in which he forbade young men to marry, for he believed that married men made lousy soldiers. Valentine, a Christian priest, believed the Emperor's law to be nonsense and secretly married young couples. Emperor Claudius was informed about the secret weddings and ordered that Valentine be arrested and executed. While he was imprisoned young couples who Valentine had married visited him and brought him flowers and messages of gratitude. It is also rumoured that on the evening before his execution, Valentine wrote a message to a young girl he had fallen in love with (some say it was the jailer's daughter). He signed the note by writing "From your Valentine" a phrase now traditionally written on many valentine cards.
Through the centuries in many European countries Valentine's Day was celebrated to coincide with an early start to spring. The modern tradition of sending Valentine cards to a loved one started around 1840 in the USA.

Here are some romantic poems you might like to send to your Valentine on February 14th.

A Red, Red Rose
O, my love is like a red, red rose, that’s newly sprung in June.O, my love is like the melody, that’s sweetly played in tune.
(Robert Burns)


I love thee, I love thee,
'Tis all that I can say;
It is my vision in the night,
My dreaming in the day.
(Thomas Hood)

Love comes through the eyes that see
And through the ears that hear,
For people are quite beautiful,
And words make feelings clear.

Love comes through the hands that touch
With unabashed affection,
For only skin-to-skin can love
Maintain its true direction.

Love comes through the tastes and smells
Of fresh and well-cooked food,
For in the gift of nourishment
Is much else that is good.

But though love comes through senses five,
Love comes from the heart,
For there resides the greater love
Of which ours is a part.
(anonymous)

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vocabulary list:

celebrated: gefeiert
poem: Gedicht
Valentine: Person, die am Valentinstag von Ihrem Verehre/ihre Verehrerin beschenkt wird
"be my Valentine": "sei mein Schatz an Valentinstag!"
a major event: ein bedeutendes Ereignis
to declare your love for somebody: jdm eine Liebeserklärung machen
to fancy somebody: (British English) eine Schwäche für jdn haben
to tease somebody: (to make fun of somebody in a friendly way): jdn necken / ärgern
feel butterflies in your stomach: einen Flattermann haben/ein flaues Gefühl (im Magen) haben
estimated: geschätzt
wedding anniversary: Hochzeitstag
the ride: Lebenszeit/Fahrt/Ritt
worthwhile: lohnend
a legend: Sage/Legende
to honour: Ehren halten
fertility gods: Fruchtbarkeit Götter
pagan: Heide(in)
to commemorate: gedenken
to pass a law: ein Gesetz verabschieden
forbade (verb: to forbid, forbade, forbidden): etw verbieten
to marry: heiraten
lousy: lausig/miserabel/beschissen
a soldier: Soldat(in)
nonsense: Unsinn/Quatsch
secretly: heimlich
a wedding: Hochzeit
to arrest: verhaften
to execute: hinrichten
gratitude: Dankbarkeit
it is rumoured that: angebliche(r,s)
to fall in love with (somebody): sich verlieben
a jailer: Gefängnisaufseher(in)
to coincide with something: mit etw zusammenfallen
spring: Frühling
thee: (old English) dir/dich
unabashed: unverfroren/Ohne Hemmungen
nourishment: Nahrung