Hello everyone, today we are celebrating Valentine’s Day at EC London! There are heart-shaped garlands and balloons and love is definitely in the air! Our interns Tony,Victor and Ida were preparing for today by helping us blow up our lovely heart-shaped balloons.
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day in your country? Do you send flowers, cards or chocolates? Here’s a little more about the romantic day we all celebrate:
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is an annual holiday celebrated on the 14th February. It originated as a Western Christian feast day by honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, and is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although note it is not a public holiday in any country.
The 14th February became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”, as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine’s Malady).
Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.
The ‘Day of Love’ is celebrated all over the world – have a look at this article about the Top 10 Valentine’s Day Celebrations around the World. Interesting read!
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
If you would like to study about Love and other things in London, check out our London English Courses and London homestays.