Well, here it is Valentine’s Day again, when all the restaurants are full and you can usually only order from their limited (Valentine’s Day) menu and the prices are higher. Of course all this inconvenience is worth it because it’s romantic. Lots of people celebrate their love for their partner with a romantic dinner or sending cards or giving gifts of flowers.
If you’re single, or don’t have someone special, you can celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD) instead.
The most common Valentine’s Day symbols are the heart and Cupid. Cupid is usually shown as small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who have fallen in love are sometimes said to be stuck by Cupid’s arrow.
Many believe the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show their sincerity.
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned on their sleeves for a week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve.”
In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.
Down through history, lots of romantic events occurred on Valentine’s Day… Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone on Valentine’s day in 1876 and it seems appropriate that penicillin, a popular treatment for venereal diseases such as syphilis, was introduced to the world on February 14, 1929.
And in honor of our German friends, “Ich liebe dich” is how you say “I love you” in German.
Now if all this doesn’t make you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, it’s also Ferris Wheel Day and Library Lover’s Day.
So if you choose to celebrate Ferris Wheel Day or Library Lover’s Day, I’m sure all the Saints called Valentine will forgive you….
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