St Valentine’s Day is coming…)
St. Valentine’s Day is coming…J
- We all know something about St. Valentine’s Day, but do we know enough? That is a question! Valentine’s Day is the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (after Christmas of course).
- The tradition to celebrate this wonderful holiday takes its root in Europe in XVIII century, in the USA in 1777, but in Ukraine it is one of the youngest holidays because first we heard about it only in 1990s.
How do we celebrate St. Valentine’s Day???
Valentine’s Day in England and Scotland в старовину супроводжувався таким звичаєм. Young people клали до мішечка стільки flowers скільки було самих молодих людей, з прикріпленими до flowers іменами дівчат; потім кожен boy виймав one flower witn the name on it. Дівчина, ім’я котрої діставалось таким чином парубку, ставала for the next year his «Валентиною», а він — її «Валентином». It meant that the whole year their relationships were подібні до тих, що, за описом середньовічних романів, були між лицарем та його «дамою серця» (the boy супроводжував the girl everywhere, складав їй сонети, грав на musical instruments тощо). Till these days Valentine’s Day gives young people a chance for expressing their feelings and also для різноманітних жартів та розваг.
In England there also exists a belief за яким перший boy or men, якого зустрічала дівчина February 14th, повинен був стати її Valentine — хотіла вона цього чи ні. Але дівчата знайшли вихід з situation: цього дня вони гуляли з зав’язаними очима.
Italians on the St. Valentine’s Day вважають своїм обов’язком дарувати
коханим sweets. In Italy цей день так і називають — «Sweet Day».
Polish цього дня відвідують Poznań. Там, за повір’ям, лежать мощі of St. Valentine, а над головним престолом висить його чудодійна ікона. Поляки believe that проща до неї helps in love.
In Japan on this special day women and girls present men and boys some sweets, mostly chocolate)). Хоча це «свято закоханих» подарунки отримують не лише кохані, але й male bosses від підлеглих жіночої статі. In general, the celebration не відрізняється від аналогічних in Europe or in the USA. St. Valentine’s Day is the unique holiday, when we can express our feelings and attitude to our sweethearts.
What about the very Valentines? What are they?
Valentines are small greeting cards у вигляді hearts, з добрими побажаннями, словами кохання, пропозиціями руки та серця чи просто жартами, які не підписують, і той, хто отримує valentine, повинен сам guess, від кого вонa.
The traditional colour of the valentine is red or pink. Часто valentines are hand-made, щоб показати силу кохання тій людині, для якої valentine і виготовляється.
And now let’s talk about the most famous gifts for St. Valentine’s Day!
Valentine’s Days is one of the boom times for shopkeepers around the world. Right from the florists to candy makers to gift shops, everywhere you will see people willing to make purchases. This is because gifts are believed to be the best mode of expression, of a person’s love, care and appreciation. Now, you must be wondering what gifts you should buy for your near and dear ones this year. If this is the case, then the following lines are meant just for you. So let’s have a look on the list of the most traditional Valentine’s Day gift ideas, and find one just for you and your loved onesJ
Chocolates
Chocolates have been amongst the most common as well as the most popular Valentine’s Day gifts for ages. There is no one who would not like to receive a box of chocolates as a gift. It’s better to remember what type of chocolate your recipient would prefer, while buying sweets!
Flowers
Flowers always are the most-preferred traditional gifts when we talk about Valentine’s Day. No matter what you knew before boys love to receive a bunch of flowers as much as girls. Make sure you pick the correct flower. For example — red roses for your love, yellow roses for friends, additional information you can find out in the Internet or just don’t be afraid to ask the floristJ
Cards
Cards are the MOST traditional gifts amongst the other gifts for St. Valentine’s Day. The reason for their popularity is the fact that they can help to express your feelings in the best way possible. To say the truth, handmade valentines cards are even more valuable, as they show your special efforts in making a person feel loved and cared for.
Heart-Shaped Souvenirs
For the St.Valentine’s Day ‘heart’ is the most common symbol. This is why all the souvenirs dedicated to this day are usually in the shape of heart. Amongst the most popular heart-shaped souvenirs are jewelry boxes, pillows, photo frames, and so on.
Heart-Shaped Cakes
Last, but not the least, heart-shaped cakes are also very common gifts for Valentine’s Day. So go ahead and buy a heart-shaped cake for your beloved in their favorite flavour. If you are good at baking, making a homemade cake will be a great idea.
Jewelry
All of us love to receive jewelry as Valentine’s Day gift. For women diamond earrings, silver bracelets, gold chains, anklets and rings work the best. Diamond ring, gold chain and platinum bracelets will be perfect for men. Go for fashion jewelry, if you don’t want to spend much.
Romantic Dinner
Imagine a candlelit dinner and just two of you…Very romantic, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter whether you go to an expensive restaurant or create a romantic atmosphere at home. What matters more is that the two of you are spending some precious moments together.
Soft Toys
When we talk about traditional Valentine’s Day gifts, soft toys are amongst the top few first items that come into mind. Teddy bear, heart-shaped cushion, bunny rabbit, Simba lion, Winnie the Pooh, Tweetie bird and candy doll can become the best present for your sweethearts.
Romantic Poem
If we talk about poems we can be sure that nothing can be more appealing as a Valentine’s Day gift, especially if it has been written by yourself. If writing a poem is not your cup of tea, then copy one from the Internet, get it framed and present it to your second half. Look for something that can expresses your emotions perfectly:
Wherever I May Go
You’re in my thoughts and in my heart
Wherever I may go;
On Valentine’s Day, I’d like to say
I care more than you know.
By Joanna Fuchs