Where did the holiday of Valentine's Day on February 14th come from? What customs and traditions is it associated with? Valentine's Day is celebrated in different countries of the world - in England, Japan, France, America, Germany, Russia. Who was Saint Valentine, what is customary to give on his feast.
During the reign of the Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius II (269 AD) believed that a ban on marriage would help strengthen the morale of his army. The emperor was sure that the married legionnaire thinks more about the family than about military merit. But a priest named Valentine from the Roman city of Terni was much more forgiving and romantic in this matter. At night he secretly married the soldiers of the Roman army with their beloved. And in the afternoon he reconciled the quarreling lovers.
Another engagement ended tragically for Valentine. Rumors of his "underground activities" reached Claudius, and the emperor gave the order to arrest and execute the priest. Waiting for his last hour, Valentine wrote a letter to a girl in love with him, blind from birth, the daughter of a warden, in which he confessed his feelings to her. She was able to read the message only after his execution. A miracle happened - the girl regained her sight, and the first thing she saw in her life was a letter signed "Your Valentine". The priest was executed on February 14, subsequently Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church as a saint.
Ancient customs
On Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day), it is customary to give red roses. One of the legends says that Adonis's beloved Aphrodite, hurrying to meet him, accidentally stepped on one of the branches from a bush of white roses and got hurt. Her blood dyed the rose scarlet. From that moment on, the tradition of giving red roses on Valentine's Day arose. How is Valentine's Day celebrated in different countries of the world?
France. The land of love. The French in love give their ladies of hearts jewelry, costume jewelry, valentines with quatrains and declarations of love.
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In England, according to the established tradition, young girls, getting up early in the morning, run to the window, waiting for the first passer-by. In his appearance, they try to see their betrothed. In addition, unmarried English women write men's names on a piece of paper, fold notes and throw them into the pond. The name written on the piece of paper that surfaced first should be worn by the narrowed one. It is also customary for the British to congratulate their four-legged friends on Valentine's Day. The owners give a treat in the form of hearts to their beloved pets.
It is customary in Japan to give chocolate hearts. Moreover, ladies are showing more active attention to men.
In America, a heart-shaped box filled with sweets, as well as a bouquet of scarlet roses, is most often used as a present. These flowers symbolize a manifestation of love and loyalty to the soul mate.
There is a very delicate tradition in Canada. On February 14, a girl can propose to any man she likes. And for refusal, he can quite seriously go to jail, or, in extreme cases, everything will cost a fine.
But in Germany, love and madness are considered synonyms and similar manifestations. On this day, the Germans decorate psychiatric hospitals with red ribbons and hold divine services. Despite the wide spread of the Catholic faith, girls in Germany perform various kinds of fortune-telling. They plant flower bulbs on this day, guessing male names for each. What name will be on the first sprouted onion, such a name will be worn by the future spouse.
Valentine's Day is officially banned in Saudi Arabia, with severe punishment for violators of the ban. Saudi Muslims believe Valentine's Day cultivates sin and confuses the minds of the younger generation. Therefore, you cannot sell plush toys, red roses and any other gifts that symbolize a declaration of love on this day.
In Russia, Valentine's Day has been celebrated since the 90s. In essence, this is an occasion to once again confess your feelings to your loved one. Despite the negative attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards the holiday, many people simply celebrate this day without hesitation. There are not many reasons for joy in everyday life. So why miss this chance to give your soul mate a bouquet of red roses, a valentine, or make a love confession to a person you have loved for a long time?
What to gift?
The fantasy of lovers knows no bounds on this day. Moreover, shop counters are full of abundance on the days before the holidays. Here you can find everything: from a banal set of sweets to artfully made-to-order luxury items. Photo frames with an unthinkable number of shapes, watches for a joint photo, blankets for two, pillows, heart-shaped plasma lamps. All of these can be found in stores. And what can you do with your own hands to make the gift unusual and like your loved one?
One of the many options is a handmade bouquet of sweets. Using cardboard, styrofoam, corrugated paper, decorative tape, hot gun, skewers, chocolates, felt; having imagination and desire, you can create a masterpiece of incredible beauty. And most importantly - a gift for Valentine's Day will be unique!
Gift-making workshop
Cut out a heart shape from cardboard - a template. Attaching it to the foam (2 cm thick), circle it and cut it out the same way. We do the same with red corrugated paper, only with a margin (allowance) of 2 cm. We glue the paper on the underside of our workpiece, carefully smoothing it so that there are no wrinkles.
According to the template, with a margin of 1.5 cm, we cut out a white heart, also glue it on top, but already going down the edges. Then we wrap up the red edge of the bottom paper and glue it too. Cut out a ribbon of red corrugated paper 8 cm wide and equal to the perimeter of the heart. Fold in half lengthwise and glue along the end of the workpiece. The fold should go over the top. After drying, the protruding part (the fold itself) is slightly stretched. You should get a basket with small, wavy sides. Here we will fill it with candy flowers.
For making flowers, such as "Rafaello", "Korkunov", etc. are suitable. We string candy on a skewer (if "Raffaello", then you can rewind it with a thread). We cut out the petals for the candy framing at our discretion. You can make roses.
Cut out rectangles of the desired color from corrugated paper, bend it in half, round one corner. With the flat side up, insert the candy on a skewer and wrap the base of the flower (tightening the skewer tightly). The rounded corner of the rectangle should be on top.
Next, cut out a rectangle, round the corners from the top, stretch the center. Gently twist the top slightly with a toothpick. We attach the petals to the base of the flower.
Cut out narrow sepals from green corrugated paper in the shape of a crown with pointed edges, and attach. We wrap the bottom of the flower and the stem from the same material. Thus, we create the required number of roses.
From green felt on the same skewers, you can plant leaves in a bouquet. It will look especially elegant if you walk the leaves along the edge of the bouquet. Also, additionally, the composition can be decorated with beads (in moderation) and satin ribbons.
Corrugated paper is ideal for making candy bouquets. It is good in that the edges or other parts of the bud can be stretched, thereby giving the flower the greatest resemblance to the real one.
Giving gifts on Valentine's Day is much more enjoyable than receiving them. A handmade present will undoubtedly bring joy to your soulmate, and you will be given a genuine feeling of happiness.