Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is a
special day of love! ¡¡ ROSES ARE REDRoses are red ¡¡ VALENTINE SYMBOLS HEARTEmotions are feelings
such as love, happiness, anger, or fear. A long time ago, people believed that all the
emotions were found in the heart. In later years, they thought only the emotion of love
was connected with the heart. The heart is still a symbol of love, and because of this, it
is also a symbol of Valentine's Day The rose was the
favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red is a color that stands for strong
feelings. This is why the red rose is a flower of love. Lace is a pretty fabric made by weaving together fine threads. Hundreds of years ago, women carried lace handkerchiefs. If a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man nearby might pick it up and return it to her. Sometimes a woman might see a man she wanted to meet. She might drop her lace handkerchief on purpose to encourage romance. Soon people thought of romance when they thought of lace. They began using paper lace to decorate chocolate boxes and Valentine cards. ¡¡ GLOVESYears ago, when a man
proposed marriage to a woman, he "asked for her hand." The hand became a symbol
of marriage and love. Soon gloves also became a symbol of love. In some countries, men
and women exchange rings when they become engaged or marry. Two or three hundred years
ago, Valentine's Day was a popular day for giving an engagement ring. An engagement ring
usually had a stone or jewel set in it. Diamonds are common in today's engagement rings. A love knot is a series
of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no end. It is a symbol of endless
love. People made love knots from ribbon or drew them on paper. Often, a message was
written on the love knot. The message had no beginning or end. It could be repeated
endlessly. Lovebirds are colorful parrots found in Africa. Most have red bills. They are called lovebirds because they sit closely together in pairs. Doves were thought to be favorite
birds of Venus. They remain with the same mates all their lives. The males and females
both care for their babies. Because these birds are symbols of loyalty and love, they are
also symbols of Valentine's Day. Son of Venus,
goddess of love. He could cause people to fall in love by piercing them with one of his
magic arrows. |