E.E. Profa. Emilia de Paiva Meira: Valentine's Day

Every June 12^th, across Brazil flowers, greeting cards, chocolate and other lovely gifts are exchanged between loved ones. Lovers Day, which is a special day set aside for expressions of love, devotion and affection, is approaching in Brazil, so I thought it would be a good idea to start to search for some nice websites to learn more about the most romantic day of the year, known in English speaking countries as Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day, a traditional western holiday which has spread to many countries around the world, is usually celebrated on February 14^th, but in other countries such as Brazil, Iran and Vietnam, it is celebrated on different dates. Check out when and how people profess their love to their sweethearts at Love Data: Valentine's Day around the world, mapped and Valentine Traditions Around The World.

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Valentine's Day is said to be named in honor of St. Valentine, a priest who secretly and illegally married couples in the 3^rd century after Christ, around 270 A.D. To find out more about the patron saint for those who have already found their soul mates and also to discover how the tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day started, watch both the History of Valentine’s Day and the parody of The History of Valentine's Day by Lunchbox Voodoo. Besides, exlore love and romance through the ages at Welcome to the Many Faces of Valentine's Day and learn more about the legend of the patron of love.

The holiday apparently dedicated to the sacrifice of St. Valentine, who was sentenced to death by the emperor Claudius II, is said to be introduced in Brazil in 1950 by João Dória, a Brazilian advertiser who was in charge of creating a catchy slogan to Clipper Stores to get couples to prove their love by exchanging gifts in June, a month which was considered the worst one to sales. The slogan created was "It's not just on kisses that you prove your love." Literally the slogan means "Express your feelings for the one you love with gifts." The day chosen to “celebrate love and romance” in Brazil was June 12^th,probably because it was the day before Saint Anthony's Day, a saint known in Portugal and Brazil as a marriage saint because of his reputation for helping separated couples to get back together.

Are you disappointed to know that in Brazil, Lover’s Day seems to have been purely created for commercial purposes? Don’t be, in the United States, Valentine’s Day has been tagged as a "Hallmark holiday" because it is perceived to exist primarily for commercial purposes, as well. Accordingly to a research done by Hallmark, about 141 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular holiday for giving greeting cards. In the United States, Valentine's Day seems to be still one of the most profitable holidays of the year.

Do you doubt that Valentine's Day is certainly of great commercial importante for American bussinessmen? Check out Valentine's Day By the Numbers, and discover how much sparkling wine, chocolate, greeting cards, flowers and other stuff, Americans purchase in the name of St. Valentine.

Now read an article written by Jonathan Bender and reflect if we still need Hallmark on Valentine's Day. If we don’t need it anymore, how would we express our love for others without the industry of love? "Would we be forced to turn to simpler tokens, such as “be mine” candy heart or a Facebook wall post for all to see?" Jonathan Bender. Food for thought.

Saying the right words at the right time for the right person might not be so easy. For those who don’t know how to express their deepest feelings for their sweethearts, there are a lot of prewritten Valentine’s Day cards available in the Internet and in stationery stores. All you have to do is to choose the right card which “says what you want to say” but don’t know how.

To know when the custom of exchanging greeting cards started, check out the History of greeting cards - not just a piece of paper and to know about "the granddaddy of all love sentiments" watch 100 years of helping you say it all and also discover how Joyce Clyde Hall, an 18-year-old boy from Nebraska overcame obstacles and crafted his American dream.

Oops! It seems that I started to digress a little bit. I just can't avoid doing that because I simply love greetings cards. I have always exchanged greeting cards with my sweeties, but I started to collect them when I went to Winnipeg, Canada in 1997. I bought lots of them and I still have all of them kept in a box and from time to time I stare at them. Fifteen years have passed since I started to collect greeting cards. Last May, I started to make homemade cards to celebrate Mother's Day and I engaged my students in making their own cards, as well. I have been making some Valentine's Day to share them with my students. They are cute aren't they? My students have called them "customized cards" because I have used different types of materials.

Getting a card made from our beloved one can be very romantic, however we also need to write a message to him or her. In order to learn how to make a simple Valentine, check Starfall. Then start making your own Valentines to your sweethearts and friends.

Surfing on the Internet, I found out when the oldest known Valentine’s message was written in English. Check out Love's labour found to know how and when Margery Brews prepared her fiancé to get married to her. If your long term boyfriend or fiancé is taking too long to propose you, you may use Mrs. Brews' persuasive strategies and you will soon tie the knot. If it does not work, you may also try to perform one of the rituals, (known in Brazil and in Portugal as simpatias) to St. Anthony, the matchmaker saint. Check out The Matchmaker Saint: more about St. Anthony and get acquainted with popular rituals performed by single women who want to hear the wedding bells. If you don't want to tie the knot you could write simply a romantic love letter or a love poem to your loved one. Check out Love Poems and Quotes to get inspired and also to develop Valentine’s Day vocabulary. Try to be creative and write your own letter and poem.

What's the best way to express your feelings for that special person who makes your heart beats faster? What about learning how to say "I love you" in different languages? Watch "I love you" in 100 languages and surprise your loved one by telling him or her "I love you” in other languages. You could also learn how to say "I love you" in American Sign Language (ASL). You could also take the opportunity to learn more words related to Valentine's Day in ASL and in English. Watch Sign Language 101 and have some fun.

Activity 1. Nothing is gonna change my love for you by is a very romantic song that you can hear to get in the mood of Valentine’s Day. Click here to see the lyrics and learn how to sing it.

Activity 2: Check out Valentine Traditions around the World to see a list of countries that celebrate Valentine’s Day. After that, choose five countries to know more about this festival.

Activity 3: Explore The History of Valentine's Day, a holiday that celebrates love and is observed by exchanging candy and gifts. After that, in groups of eight, make a poster about the legend of St. Valentine.

Activity 4: Make an origami heart to decorate your Valentine's Day card or to give to someone special. Watch Origami Heart (Folding Instructions) to learn how to do it.

Activity 5: Make your own Valentine’s Day card and write a message to someone special. Watch How to Make a Pop-Up Heart Card and Mini Handmade Valentine's Day Card to get inspired. To learn how to write your message you can check out Starfall or Valentine's Day Card Messages: Examples of What to Write in a Card.

Activity 6: Personalize a digital card to celebrate Valentine’s Day and send it to a special person. To do this activity you can use either Hallmark Free Valentine's Day Ecards or Punchbowl or 123 egreetings.com or Rattlebox eCard.