From Your Valentine

Saint Valentine was a bishop who lived in the third century in Rome who fight against Emperor Claudius II who banned marriages.

The History Of Saint Valentine's Day - Animated Narration

2000 years ago, the most powerful army in the world belonged to the Romans. The Romans were so strong that they conquered almost all of Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa. Then they began to grow rich and a little bit lazy. Life in the army was harsh, and many of the soldiers longed for the comforts of home. They wanted to get married and set up families. The Emperor, whose name was Claudius the Second, was worried that his army was growing soft; so he made a law that no soldier was allowed to get married.

By that time, many of the Romans were Christians – and one of their leaders was a Bishop called Valentine.

He believed that if a man and woman fell in love with each other, they should get married – and so he decided to let soldiers get married in his church, even though it was now against the law. The soldiers’ weddings were meant to be kept secret, but as you know, all secrets are hard to keep, and soon the word got out. Valentine was arrested and brought before the emperor who demanded that he stop helping soldiers to marry, and instead that he pray to the gods of Rome. When he refused, the emperor sentenced him to death.

While Valentine was in prison, the jailer’s daughter used to bring him his food. She was a young woman who unfortunately was blind. She and Valentine used to spend long hours talking to each other, and they fell in love. One day, Valentine put his hand through the bars of his cell and touched the lids of her closed eyes. When she opened them again, she could see. It was a miracle.

Valentine’s execution was set for February the 14th. On his last night on earth, he wrote his final message to the girl. He signed his love letter, “From your Valentine”. This took place in the year 270, and ever since, lovers have sent each other messages on February the 14th with the same signature.

(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You

(I Can't Help) Falling in Love is a song originally recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and George David Weiss. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour" (1784), a popular romance by Jean Paul Egide Martini (1741–1816). It was featured in Elvis Presley's 1961 film, Blue Hawaii. During the following four decades, it was recorded by numerous other artists, including British reggae group UB40, whose 1993 version featured in the film Sliver topped the U.S. and UK charts.

Here you have this last version.

Wise men say,
Only fools rush in

But I can't help falling in love with you... (x2)

Shall I stay

Would it be a sin

Cause' I can't help falling in love with you...

As the river flows,
Gently to the sea

Darlin' so we go, some things were meant to be...

Take my hand,
Take my whole life too

Cause' I can't help fallin in love with you...

As the river flows,
Gently to the sea

Darlin' so we know, somethings were meant to be...

Take my hand,
Take my whole life too

Cause' I can't help fallin in love with you...

I can't help...falling in love with you

I can't help...falling in love with you

I can't help...falling in love with you...

Heart Idioms

 

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is celebrated February 14 in honour of a Roman priest named Valentine who lived in the 3rd Century. The Emperor at that time, Claudius II, banned marriages because he believed that married men made worst soldiers. Valentine didn't accept this law and married couples in secret. When the Emperor found out, Valentine was sentenced to death. While he was in prison, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and just before he was put to death, on 14 February, he wrote a final love message to her and signed it “From your Valentine”. Not long after his death, Valentine was made a saint.

The story of Valentine quickly spread and it soon became tradition to send a card to the person you secretly admired. The cards were always signed “From your Valentine”. The first commercial cards appeared in the mid 1800's. Today, we send over a billion Valentine cards each other, 70% of them sent by women.

Valentine's Traditions

• Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. 
• In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"
• In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
• In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.
• Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day; it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
• A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!
• Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.
• Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.
• If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

Valentine's Symbols

Valentine's Day has acquired over the years many different symbols or things that represent love and romance. Watch some of them on this video.

Valentine's Day Poems

From Apples 4 the Teacher, here you have a bunch of Valentine's love and friendship poems:

	A Song of Love
	A Valentine to a Little Child  compiled by Evaleen Stein
	A Valentine to Catherine  compiled by Evaleen Stein
	An Equal Franchise Valentine  by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.
	Courageous is My Valentine  (Dedicated to a loved one in the military) by Roger J. Robicheau
	Cupid and My Campaspe by John Lyly
	Cupid Drowned  by Leigh Hunt
	Cupid Stung by Thomas Moore
	Don Cupid
	Four Winds
	Gifts of Love
	Kismet
	Love Proverb
	Love Seasons
	Love Song
	My Perfect Valentine  (Dedicated to a loved one in the military) by Roger J. Robicheau
	The Days of Chivalry  by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.
	The Little Old Cupid  by Walter de la Mare
	The Music of Your Voice
	There is a Lady Sweet and Kind
	To Daphne  by Walter Besant
	To My Leap Year Valentine  by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.
	To My Valentine  by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.
	When Will Love Come? by Pakenham Beatty
	Valentine by K. Uniacke

More Valentine's Poems & Readings

To My Valentine

If apples were pears

And peaches were plums

And the rose had a different name

If tigers were bears

And fingers were thumbs

I'd love you just the same.

  

Poems like this and more others could be found following these links:

     

     

How to Say "I Love You"

The way to say I Love You in different languages around the world.

Albanian	Te dua
Arabic	Ana Behibak (to a male) Ana Behibek (to a female)
Basc	Nere Maitea
Bengali	Ami tomake bhalobashi
Berber	Lakh tirikh
Bulgarian	Obicham te
Cantonese	Ngo oi ney
Catalan	T'estimo
Chinese	Wo ie ni (Manderin)
Croatian	Volim te
Czech	Miluji te
Danish	Jeg elsker dig
Dutch	Ik hou van jou
Estonian	Mina armastan sind
Esperanto	Mi amas vin
Finnish	Mina" rakastan sinua
French	Je t'aime
Gaelic	Ta gra agam ort
German	Ich liebe Dich
Greek	S' ayapo
Hebrew	Ani ohev at (man to woman) Ani ohevet atah (woman to man)
Hindi	Mein Tumse Pyar Karta Hoon (man to woman) Mein Tumse Pyar Karti Hoon (woman to man)
Hungarian	Szeretlek te'ged
Italian	Ti amo
Irish	taim i' ngra leat
Japanese	Kimi o ai shiteru Sukiyo
Korean	Tangsinul sarang ha yo
Kurdish	Ez te hezdikhem
Latin	Te amo
Latvian	Es Tev milu
Lithuanian	Ash miliu tave
Maltese:	Inhobbok
Mandarin :	Wo ai ni
Norwegian :	Jeg elsker deg (Bokmaal) Eg elskar deg (Nynorsk)
Pakistani	Mujhe tumse muhabbat hai
Polish	Ja Cie Kocham or Kocham Cie
Portuguese	Eu te amo
Punjabi	Main tainu pyar karna (male to female) Mai taunu pyar kardi aan (female to male)
Romanian	Te iu besc
Russian	Ya lyublyu tebya Ya vas lyublyu
Serbian	Volim te
Slovak	Lubim ta
Slovene	Ljubim te
Spanish	Te amo
Swahili	Nakupenda
Swedish	Jag a"lskar dig
Taiwanese	Gwa ai lee
Tamil	Naan Unnai Kadhalikiren
Thai	Phom Rak Khun / Ch'an Rak Khun
Turkish	Seni seviyorum!
Urdu	Mujhe tumse muhabbat hai
Welsh	'Rwy'n dy garu di. Yr wyf i yn dy garu di (chwi)
Yiddish	Ikh hob dikh lib