Valentine's day!

Vocabulary what I learnt :
- topycal
- card
- candlelight
- bouquet

--> http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/vocabulary/holidays_valentines1.html

I learn about origins of Valentin's day. There was two theories:
-The ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, a pagan fertility celebration honoring Juno, the queen of Roman gods and goddesses and the goddess of women and marriage, was held on Feb. 14. During the festival, women would write love letters and leave them in a large urn. The men of Rome would draw a note from the urn and the chase was on.
-  Medieval Europeans believed that birds began to mate on Feb. 14 and that made it the perfect day to send a love letter.
In my opinion the second theory is the most cute... because the migration of birds is related with the liberation of feelings.

The story of Valentin's day:
Legend holds that one of the Valentines performed secret marriages against direct orders from Emperor Claudius II (who believed single men were more likely to join his army) and that he sent a friend (or possibly his jailer’s daughter) a note signed “from your Valentine” before he was executed on Feb. 14, 270.

Early Christians preferred a holiday honoring the saint of romantic causes to one recognizing a pagan festival, and in 496, Pope Gelasius named Feb. 14 in honor of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. But don’t look for it on the official list of saints’ days. In 1969, Pope Paul VI dropped it from the calendar.

Vocabulary:
- Patron
- Marriages
- Jailer
- Recognizing
- Pagan
- Dropped
- Join