Flowers On Valentines Day example essay topic

St Valentine's Day was supposedly started in the time of the Roman Empire. In Ancient Rome, the date of February 14 was a holiday to honor the Queen of Roman Goddesses and Gods, Juno. Juno was known as the Goddess of women and marriage. The next day February 15 was the first day of the Festival known as the Feast of Lupe rcia. On February 14 is was said that the young boys and girls of the villages would write down the names of every girl and place these names in a jar of which each young man would have to draw a name of a girl and this particular maiden would be their partner for the duration of the festival. Sometimes these parings would last a year and end up in marriage.

These rituals under the laws of Claudius were banned, as the Emperor believed that the reasons why men would now go to war were because they did not want to leave their lovers or families. As a result all marriages and engagements were canceled as a result Saint Valentine a Roman priest was said to have married these couples in secret and for this he was executed on the 14th day of February. While St Valentine was in jail it is said that he fell in love with the jailers daughter. By a miracle or some say by the prayers of Valentine she gained her sight and as a last farewell in a note he was to "From Your Valentine". Another story as to the origins of Valentine's day was that he was a priest who was also a physician and would cure the sick.

He was also said to have tried to cure the jailers blind daughter, but, was arrested and on the day of his execution he wrote a note as a final farewell saying "From your Valentine" which some say is what caused her to gain her sight. It is also said whilst he was in jail awaiting execution that he was sent little notes and flowers from the children whom he had helped when they were sick. This also may have been one of the reasons why he sent a farewell note to the jailers daughter and why we send valentines. St Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 of each year, the reason why it is celebrated on this day is because this was the day that the Patron Saint of Lovers "St Valentine" was supposedly executed on. On this day lovers all around the world mark this occasion as a day for sending poems, cards, flowers or candy, etc. They might also be a social gathering or ball to mark the occasion.

Another Interesting origin is that St Valentine was the patron Saint of Epilepsy reason was that he was supposedly a sufferer and took a keen interest in those who suffered from this affliction and also that those who suffered this disease were suffering from Valentine's sickness Autobiography of St. Valentine There are various accounts about who St Valentine was. It is said that there were two St Valentine's whom died at around the same time and are buried virtually in the same place at the Flaminian Way, both of these saints has been said to be the saint associated with the Patron Saint of Lovers "Saint Valentine". The first of the Saints was considered to be a Roman Priest or Bishop of the Christian faith, who was also a physician and practiced his trade from his house. He was said to cure the sick of ailments, giving them special medicines or ointments. He was said to have done this out of the goodness of his heart sometimes refusing any payment whatsoever or accepting a loaf of bread or whatever could be spared by the sick. One Day the jailer bought his daughter to see Valentine, so as to see if she could have her sight gained.

Valentine was said to have rubbed an ointment on her eyes, and told the jailer to bring her back once a week to have the ointment rubbed on her eyes. Every night he would pray under the dark of night for the sick to be cured. As a result of his beliefs he was arrested and thrown in jail. The jailer who could not do a thing went to see Valentine moments before he was to be executed. At which point Valentine asked for a piece of paper and pen on the piece of paper it is said he was suppose to have written "from your Valentine" and inside the paper also was a blossom of which it is said gave the girl her sight. The second of the Saints was said to have been a priest also, but, that he was secretly carrying out marriages of young lovers; which under the Emperor Claudius II's laws at the time was forbidden, the reason being that Claudius did not want the men marrying because they must be able to concentrate on war and not their loved one.

Which ever story is true, today we celebrate St Valentine's day by exchanging gifts such as cards, candy, flowers, etc. The reason why we celebrate it on February 14 is this was the day on which it is said that St Valentine was executed. Valentines Day in Austria In Austria there are obscure courtship customs that might be associated with St Valentine's Day. It has become customary for a young man to present his loved one with a bunch of flowers for Valentine's Day. Valentines Day in Australia In Australia during the gold rush, miners who were flushed with new found wealth from the Ballarat mines were willing to pay a price ly sum for elaborate valentines. Merchants in Australia would send orders of a thousand pounds at a time.

The most extravagant of valentines were made of a satin cushion, perfumed, ornately designed with flowers, coloured shells, and would also have a taxidermied humming bird or bird of paradise adorning it. This was all contained in a neatly decorated box which were considered of high standing, fashionable and most expensive Valentines Day in Britain In Britain can be found so many verses of love and affairs of the heart that have been so beautifully penned in honor of St Valentine. In Britain various parts of the kingdom celebrate their own customs and as the day approached all magazines were readying for the day that they published sonnets and verses to commemorate St Valentine's Day. Valentines Day in Denmark The Danish valentine days card known as a lover's card came in the form of a transparency. When held up to the light showed a picture of a lover handing his love a gift.

Valentines Day in France In France a custom of drawing for would occur, this was were young unmarried people as well as older unmarried people would go into houses facing each other and start calling out across from one window to another, pairing of with the one they have chosen. If the young man didn't fancy his valentine he would desert her and as a result afterwards a bonfire would be lit where the young ladies would burn images of the young man and would yell out abuse as she burnt the image of the young man. This eventually fell into dishonor because it left too much room for nastiness, ridicule or even malice. For example an unsavoury type of man might be paired with a flirtatious young lady, just for fun. As a result of these customs the French government was forced into handing down a decree that there would be no more pairing or calling of Valentines. Also in France elegant greeting cards called cartes d'amities that contained tender messages were given not totally as a Valentine but mainly as a result of fashion going on in England.

Valentines Day in Germany In Germany it has become customary for the young man of the couple who was courting to present his loved one flowers on valentines day. In Germany gifts in the shape of love tokens would be given with lovely messages. These were not just handed out on Valentines day but on any day. Even baptismal certificates, or marriage certificates were sometimes thought of as valentines, but, were more likely just to be decorative and pictorial or even lovely verses that would be written out of love.

Valentines Day in Italy In Italy Valentine's Day is celebrated as a Spring Festival and his held in the open air. The young would gather in leafy glades or ornamental gardens, where they would listen to music and hear poetry read, then they would stroll off with their valentine together into the gardens. This custom over the years has ceased and it has not been celebrated for centuries. In the Italian city of Turin it was customary for an engaged couple to announce their engagement on this day. For a while before the day shops would be decorated and filled with all sorts of bon-bons. Valentines Day in Scotland In Scotland valentine's day is celebrated by having a festival.

At teh festival there is an equal amount of young unmarried (single) men and young unmarried (single) ladies who get together, each of them writes on a piece of paper their name or a made up name, this is then rolled up. The names are placed in two hats one for the mens one for the ladies they then have to draw a piece of paper out of the hat. Both may end up with two valentines but the young man is suppose to stick with the valentine who has chosen him. This having been done the company has been split up into so many couples, gifts are given to the young ladies and the young ladies would wear the name of their valentine over their heart or on their sleeve. There might also be a dance and at the end of the festival there might even be a lot of marriages or romances. There is another valentines were the first young man or woman that by chance walks by you in the street, or elsewhere will be your valentine.

In Scotland valentines gifts were given by both parties in the form of a love-token or a true-love-knot. Valentines Day in Spain In Spain it is customary for courting couples to exchange gifts and for husbands to send their wives a bunch of roses. Traditions about St Valentine's Day: Valentines Symbols Cupid: - Cupid was a a mischievous, winged child, whose arrows would pierce the hearts of his victims causing them to fall deeply in love. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite.

To the Roman's he was Cupid, and his mother Venus. Roses: - Roses symbolize both peace and war, love and forgiveness. White roses are for true love. Red roses are for passion. Yellow roses are for friendship.

Black roses mean farewell. Valentines Day in America In America there have been many different forms of cards given on Valentine's day over the years. Many of these may not have been nice as there were cards that were often rude and almost cruel in their humor, But, there were many that were intricate and a lot of thought that went into them. There were cards in the times of the civil war that were flagged with rich color, patriotic and political motifs. There were ones that showed lovers, their heroes and generals, skits and comical. There were cards also not in the best of tastes that some men would send to former loves or people they wanted to get back at for some reason or another.

These cards were sent to cause discomfort and might say things such as "boss-eyed" or other similar phrases. There were many Valentines that were especially lithographed and hand-colored, beautiful in there design and that had a distinction of there own. Many cards were imported from overseas due to the paper being of poor quality and not suitable for embossing. There were many cards that were produced with intricate lace paper, decorated with ornaments such as beads, sea shells, cones, berries, and all different kinds of seeds. Some may even have seaweed or moss with dried flowers or artificial flowers which was all attached to a string so as it could be hung creating a three dimensional picture.