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Valentines Day
By Jeffrey Chi
Held annually on February 14 th, Saint Valentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day as we know it, is the traditional day when people express love towards one another. The holiday is named after two Christian martyrs both of whom were named Valentine. Through the exchange of cards, candy, flowers, and various other gifts, people are able to demonstrate their feelings towards someone special in their lives.
The earliest surviving valentine dated back to early 1400 A.D. in Paris, where the various legends and myths of Saint Valentine were created. There were different myths, for example before Saint Valentine was martyred for being a Christian, he passed a love note to his jailer’s daughter that addressed himself as “Your Valentine”. Another legend of Saint Valentine declared during the rule of Emperor Claudius II, there was a ban on the marriage of Roman soldiers, so Saint Valentine helped to secretly arrange marriages.
Outside European and American countries, Valentine’s Day has spread throughout the world. In Japan and Korea, there is an obligation for women to give male co-workers a certain type of chocolate called giri-choko. A month later, on March 14 th, men return the favor to their female co-workers and give them gifts, but most of them end up giving things to their girlfriends. Almost every country has a form of Valentine’s Day, such as “Boyfriend’s/Girlfriend’s Day” in Brazil and “Love and Friendship Day” in Columbia and Mexico.
No matter if you have a special person in your life or if you don’t, there are many different ways for this holiday to be interpreted. From telling someone how much you really care, giving a present to a good friend, or even asking one for another chance at something that was lost; despite any situation you can always choose whether you wish to honor an universal tradition or not.