E.E.Profº José Apparecido Munhoz
Elen Cristina Chaves, n° 07
3°3 Ensino Médio
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One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during
the third century in Rome.
When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better
soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage
for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers.
Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and
continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.
When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered
that he be put to death.
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Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for
attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons
where they were often beaten and tortured.
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According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine'
greeting himself.
While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young
girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited
him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he
wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an
expression that is still in use today.
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While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle
of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death
or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D. -- others
claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate
Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to
'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival.
In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of
spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses
were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then
sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout
their interiors.
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During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France
and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds'
mating season, which added to the idea that the middle
of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance.
The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a
poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while
he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture
at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written
in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library
in London, England.
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In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated
around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth
century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes
to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.
By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace
written letters due to improvements in printing technology.
Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in
the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell
the first mass-produced valentines in America.
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According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one
billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day
the second largest card-sending holiday of the year.
(An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)
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Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by
women.
In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in
Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
you more
Today more than yesterday
and less than tomorrow…
It Wipes Out All sense of time,
destroying all memory of the
Beginning and all fear of an end
made with the
fume of sighs.
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