Valentine’s Day is an annual event held on February 14th and is a celebration of love and affection between two people. The day is named after one of a series of early Christian martyrs called Valentine (it is uncertain exactly which one), and the day was established in roughly 500 AD, so it is certainly not a modern phenomenon.
It is traditionally a day on which people express their love for each other by giving flowers, confectionery and other gifts, and by sending greeting cards (known as ‘valentines’). Valentine’s Day cards used to be handmade and some early examples were very elaborate and have now become collectable, commanding high prices. Sadly, modern cards are usually mass-produced.
Another popular gift from a man to a woman is a set of sexy underwear – here are some examples from Amira.
Valentine’s Day cards can be sent anonymously, and one of the greatest pleasures of receiving one of these cards is trying to guess who sent it – the person who has difficulty deciding which of their many admirers was responsible for the card is fortunate indeed! This tradition is rather spoiled by some of the cards that one can buy today, which say things like ‘to my Valentine from your Husband’ (or wife), and I think the strangest Valentine’s Day card I have ever seen stated that it was ‘from the dog’. I suppose it takes all sorts to make a world.
