The library informs
On Valentine's Day, in the first light of day
Call me your Valentine.
W. Shakespeare. "Hamlet". (From a song by Ophelia)
History of Valentine's Day
Among the ancient Slavs, February bore the apt name "lute". Gloomy, blizzard, sometimes with real severe frosts, sometimes with nasty sleet, this month evokes far from the most pleasant associations. But in England, America and other countries, the word "February" evokes cheerful and pleasant thoughts. And this is not at all due to the difference in climate, but to the fact that February 14 is celebrated as Valentine's Day, or Valentine's Day.
This holiday has no deep religious basis. Its history is unusually romantic, and this day got its name from the name of the Christian martyr - Valentine, who was sentenced to death by the Roman pagans. In the 3rd century A.D. Roman emperor Claudius issued a decree forbidding people to marry. He believed marriage kept men at home, and their destiny is to be good soldiers and bravely fight for Rome. The young Christian priest Valentine did not heed the decree and secretly married young lovers. Having learned about "illegal marriages", the emperor ordered the priest to be imprisoned and then executed.
In prison, Valentine, deprived of sacred books, whiled away his leisure time writing notes to the jailer's daughter. Obviously, both the messages and the daughter were good. Young people fell in love with each other. Despite the cruel circumstances and imminent death, Valentine did not stop thinking about his beloved. Before his execution on February 14, 270, he sent the girl a farewell note filled with love and tenderness with a brief phrase "from Valentine", which later began to mean eternal affection and fidelity. And the date of the death of the priest, who betrothed lovers, despite severe obstacles, and who did not see his own happiness, remained forever in the memory of people. His ashes were buried in the church of St. Praxidis in Rome, its gates became known as the "gates of Valentine". Later, the Church canonized him as a saint, and the lovers chose him as their patron.
Since Rome was still largely pagan in those days, for many, Valentine's Day merged with the ancient feast of the Lupercalia. It was held on February 15 in honor of the Faun - the god of fields, forests, pastures; and animals - in a grotto on the slope of the Roman hill Palatine. All the rituals were performed by Luperk priests, who sacrificed a goat and a dog to the Faun. After that, they ran around the Palatine, lashing the oncoming women with whips cut from the skin of a sacrificial goat, which should have contributed to their fertility. According to legend, on this day, birds pick up a pair for themselves, and the forests are filled with ringing bird voices.
Lupercalia was also a holiday for lovers, it was patronized by the goddesses Juno and Fauna, who favored women and marriage. There was a kind of youth festival. The girls threw beautifully designed letters into the vessel, and the boys pulled them like lottery tickets, and thus chose a friend and girlfriend for the next year.
Invading Britain, the Romans, among many festivities and customs, introduced Valentine's Day. At one time, the choice of brides, whose names were pulled out by potential grooms, became widespread. And the priests, wanting to give this some religious spirit, sometimes replaced the names of real brides with the names of saints.
In England, Valentine's Day began to be accompanied by the secret delivery of gifts and cards "with meaning." On the evening of February 13, admirers placed their gifts on the steps of the cherished door, rang the bell, and immediately ran headlong away so that they would not be recognized. Later, the choice of a sweetheart or beloved turned into one of the traditional entertainments on Valentine's Day, which was expected with excitement and awe. The young man on the night before walked under the window of his beloved, from which at dawn the maiden was supposed to call him, calling her Valentine.
The girl, accordingly, was worried that the one she wanted was at the window, and some poor things had to worry that at least someone would come. Only after the girl called him her Valentine, the young man had the right to present his pre-selected gift. The gift was prepared very carefully. So, one of the heroes of the novel by W. Scott, the blacksmith Henry Smith, prepared as a gift for his Valentine a heart-shaped ruby, pierced by an arrow, enclosed in an elegant purse made of steel rings. On the rim of the purse were engraved the words:
An arrow of love entered the chest,
The chain mail did not save the heart.
How Valentine's Day is celebrated
The tradition of writing messages on Valentine's Day has survived to this day. Having written touching words of love to his beloved, Saint Valentine could not have imagined that they would turn into a huge number of love notes in verse and prose, serious and playful, from young to young and from old to old.
After all, as you know, all ages are submissive to love! Ads in the newspaper, both with an expression of love and even a marriage proposal, as well as playful, often encrypted messages, the key to which only the initiates know, became a kind of congratulations on Valentine's Day.
In addition to letters, gifts appropriate to the occasion are made. Postcards for Valentine's Day are mass-produced, but if you wish, you can find those made in single copies and order your own text of congratulations.
Old postcards are true works of art. They were made of openwork or embossed paper, multi-layered, with inserts embroidered on silk.
On Valentine's Day, the demand for flowers increases dramatically, especially roses. The custom of presenting a bouquet with a special message on Valentine's Day was borrowed by the British from the gallant French in the early 18th century. and reached the peak of fashion in the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). A young man in love expressed his feelings to his chosen one with the help of a carefully selected bouquet, where each flower had its own subtle meaning.
And yet, the red rose is considered the floral emblem of St. Valentine. It is believed that the beginning of this tradition was laid by Louis XVI, who presented red roses to Marie Antoinette that day. After all, according to ancient legend, they appeared thanks to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Hurrying to Adonis, her lover, she stepped on a bush of white roses, pricked her foot on thorns, and her divine blood dyed them scarlet.
An old love divination is also associated with this flower. On the eve of Ivanov's Day on July 7, it was necessary to pick a rose and wrap it in a clean sheet of paper. If at Christmas she still looked fresh, the girl carried her on her chest to church, and then her betrothed was provided for her.
Valentine's Day -
this is a holiday of romance, love and tenderness.
On February 14, lovers express their sincere feelings and exchange gifts, arrange romantic surprises for their soulmate.
Perhaps the main attribute of the holiday is a specific card with a declaration of love - "Valentine".
It is often made in the shape of hearts, they are also decorated with them.
Also, these cards are decorated with various flowers, angels, doves, kisses. The main color of Valentine's Day is red or pink. It is in these shades that they try to give gifts.
I have a little "valentine" that someone sent me.
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"Valentine" It’s pink and white And red and blue And pretty as can be. And in the centre There’s a heart. As red as red can be! And on it’s written all in gold “To you, with love from me’’. |
I love you the most
February, the14-th day It’s Valentine, they say
I choose you from among the rest The reason is I love you best.
Round is the ring that has no end
So is my love for you, my friend
Again do take this in good part
Along with it have my heart
But if you do the same refuse
Pray, burn this paper and me excuse.
The rose is red, the violets are blue
The honey is sweet and so are you
Wherever you go,
I’ll find you, I know,
Forever you are mine,
I’m your Valentine!
William Shakespeare
Sonnet 102 by
* * *
My love is strength'ned, though more weak in seeming;
I love not less, though less the show appear:
That love is merchandised whose rich esteeming
The owner's tongue doth publish every where.
Our lovewas new, and then but in the spring,
When I was wont to greet it with my lays,
As Philomel in summer's front doth sing,
And stops his pipe in growth of riper days:
Not that the summer is less pleasant now
Than when her mournful hymns did hush the night,
But that wild music burthens every bough,
And sweets grown common lose their dear delight.
Therefore like her, I sometime hold my tongue,
Because I would not dull you with my song.
Library administration.
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