VALENTINE´S DAY

 St.  Valentine´s Day

   Do you know why we celebrate Valentine’s Day?
    Now it is mainly so thatwe can tell people that we care about them, give and receive cards, and
enjoy chocolate and candy.

    But according to one legend, St. Valentine’s Day is meant for people to remember a brave man, a martyr* whose name was Valentine.

The Story of St. Valentine

The Roman Emperor Claudius II was fighting many wars. He wanted a
strong army, but many men did not want to be soldiers. Claudius thought
the men wanted to stay home to be with their wives and children instead
of leaving to fight wars.
Claudius thought of an awful solution to his problem. He decided to cancel
all marriages! No one in all of Rome could get married. Claudius thought
that if the men couldn’t get married, the men would ignore the women
and want to be soldiers.
Valentine, who was a priest, believed that people needed to get married.
He thought that if they were not married, they would be tempted to sin by
living together without being married. So he secretly and illegally married
couples anyway! He performed the weddings in secret places, so the
Roman soldiers would not find out.
But they did find out. Valentine was arrested and brought before the
Emperor. The Emperor thought Valentine was a well spoken and wise
young man, and encouraged him to stop being a Christian and become a
loyal Roman. Valentine would not deny his beliefs, and he refused. He was
sent to prison until he could be executed. While he was in prison, he sent
out letters to his friends and asked to be prayed for by writing Remember
your Valentine.
Valentine was killed on the 14th or the 24th of February in the year 269 or
270. We celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th in honor of St.
Valentine.
Although it is not known whether this legend is factually true, it is a good
story anyway. It is nice to think of someone who believed in marriage and
was willing to risk death to do what he believed was right.

*martyr comes from the Greek work martus, which means “witness”. A martyr is a
person who would rather suffer, and even die, than give up the things he or she
believes in.

Answer the following:
1. Name the Emperor who ruled during Valentine’s lifetime.
a. Claudius I
b. Claudius II
c. Nero 
d. Augustus
 
2. The Emperor wanted men to:
a. live at home and work for the empire.
b. raise children and be loyal Roman citizens.
c. go to other countries and raise families.
d. go fight wars in other lands.
 
3. Valentine disobeyed the Emperor’s orders twice. What TWO things
did he refuse to do?
a. stop performing marriages
b. kneel to the Emperor
c. stop being a Christian
d. read the Bible
 
Match the words to the correct meaning.
1. ___ wedding a. a tasty treat of sugar and cocoa
2. ___ executed b. a place to keep criminals away from regular citizens
3. ___ martyr c. to take a criminal away to jail or prison
4. ___ prison d. ruler of the Roman Empire
5. ___ secretly e. the second month of the year
6. ___ chocolate f. done in hiding, privately
7. ___ Emperor g. a ceremony where two people who  love each     other join together officially
8. ___ war h. from a word meaning witness
9. ___ arrest i. to be killed for a crime or a belief
10. ___ February j. when groups of people, or countries, fight each other.


Short Essay: Write why you think Valentine was or was not brave.
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  Find as many words as you can in this phrase: REMEMBER YOUR VALENTINE






 Aquí os cuelgo algunos poemas que han escrito el día de San Valentín. Haced click sobre más información y aparecerán más.

When Will Love Come?
by Pakenham Beatty

Some find Love late, some find him soon, Some with the rose in May, Some with the nightingale in June, And some when skies are gray; Love comes to some with smiling eyes, And comes with tears to some; For some Love sings, for some Love sighs, For some Love's lips are dumb. How will you come to me, fair Love? Will you come late or soon? With sad or smiling skies above, By light of sun or moon? Will you be sad, will you be sweet, Sing, sigh, Love, or be dumb? Will it be summer when we meet, Or autumn ere you come?

A Valentine to a Little Child

compiled by Evaleen Stein

Dear heart, on this thrice-blessed day, An thou my sweetheart be, The rose of love shall bide alway Upon the red-rose tree. And in the garden of my heart So ceaselessly shall shine, The little birds will know thou art Mine own true Valentine. And I will bid them wing and sing To all good winds that blow, That to thy little feet they bring All blessings, even so. And o'er thy cradle I will coax, By every lucky charm, The friendship of the fairy folks To fold thee from all harm. So may they hover round thy head And gently there upon, As doth the April sunshine, shed Most gracious benison. And all fair gifts that Fortune hath, I'll pray she promise these, And that she loose about thy path All sweet influences. Then here's a kiss! and there's a kiss! And kisses, one, two, three! I seal them in the folds of this, And speed them unto thee!

A Valentine to Catherine

compiled by Evaleen Stein

If you will be my True-Love, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll ask a little bluebird To sing a song to you. When first you see a violet And softly pricking through The garden bed come crocuses And golden tulips, too, Then watch! for he'll be coming, The little bird of blue; He'll sing, "I love you, Sweetheart, It's true, true, true!"

An Equal Franchise Valentine

by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.

Oh, noble knight, you oft have said That when a maiden you would wed, In everything you both should share And make a truly happy pair. Now, as you vow your love is mine, And that I am your Valentine, Oh, prove these loving words of thine, And make the right of franchise mine!

Courageous Is My Valentine

by Roger J. Robicheau

Courageous is my Valentine In uniform, so more than fine The apple of my eye, you see No better troop could ever be Though ‘Mona Lisa’ means a lot She is no match for what I’ve got And ‘Robin Hood’ who was real cool Could never match with my love’s rule No need to wonder whose the best There is but one who’d pass my test I know my love is tried and true No better heart there’d be than you God Bless my precious Valentine So brave, so smart, my GI’s mine You’ll always be my Valentine Do tell me how you make shoes shine

Cupid and my Campaspe

From "Alexander and Campaspe"
by John Lyly

Cupid and my Campaspe played At cards for kisses; Cupid paid: He stakes his quiver, bow, and arrows, His mother's doves, and team of sparrows; Loses them too; then down he throws The coral of his lip, the rose Growing on's cheek (but none knows how); With these, the crystal of his brow, And then the dimple on his chin; All these did my Campaspe win: And last he set her both his eyes - She won, and Cupid blind did rise. O Love! has she done this to thee? What shall, alas! become of me? Cupid Drowned by Leigh Hunt T'other day, as I was twining Roses, for a crown to dine in, What, of all things, 'mid the heap, Should I light on, fast asleep, But the little desperate elf, The tiny traitor, Love, himself! By the wings I picked him up Like a bee, and in a cup Of my wine I plunged and sank him, Then what d'ye think I did? - I drank him. Faith, I thought him dead. Not he! There he lives with tenfold glee; And now this moment with his wings I feel him tickling my heart-strings. When Will Love Come? by Pakenham Beatty Some find Love late, some find him soon, Some with the rose in May, Some with the nightingale in June, And some when skies are gray; Love comes to some with smiling eyes, And comes with tears to some; For some Love sings, for some Love sighs, For some Love's lips are dumb. How will you come to me, fair Love? Will you come late or soon? With sad or smiling skies above, By light of sun or moon? Will you be sad, will you be sweet, Sing, sigh, Love, or be dumb? Will it be summer when we meet, Or autumn ere you come?