Saint Valentine's Day

                                   SAINT  VALENTINE'S  DAY                              

                   Who was Saint Valentine ?   

   According to a legend St. Valentine was a priest near Rome  i

   in about the year 270 AD

  When  Claudius II became the emperor he believed that soldiers

 would be unable to concentrate on fighting  if they were married.

 So he banned marriage.

  Valentine defied the emperor and secretly performed marriage ceremonies.

  He was put to death on February 14th.

                CUPID                                                                                                  

 Cupid was the son of Venus  the goddess of love and beauty.

Psyche was a mortal princess, she was so beautiful that Venus was jealous and ordered Cupid

to punish the mortal. But instead, Cupid fell deeply in love with her. After a lot of events Psyche died.

Cupid woke her up  and the couple wed in a ceremony attended by the Gods.

                 Valentine's symbols

  Cupid, that boy armed with bow and arrows , has become the most popular of love symbols.

 Other symbols                                                         

                                            hearts                                          red roses                                              cards

  you can send a love letter                        offer a gift  

 Or write a poem       She bathed with roses red,

                                     And violets blue,

                                     And all the sweetest flowers

                                     That in the forest grew     (from 'The Fairy Queen')

                                                                                       Sir Edmund Spenser            

                Valentine's day around the world

  Valentine's day is celebrated by lovers everywhere.

---In China there is a story similar to the legend of Cupid and Psyche. The immortal Zhinu falls in love with

 a young farmer Niulang. They are sent on two different stars (Vega and Altair) separated by the Milky Way.

 They are allowed to meet once a year           

 on the Chinese Valentine's day.

---In the U.S.A. this day is not just for lovers. Children make special cards for their classmates,

 family and friends. They give candy or small gifts to each other.               

http://www.5minuteenglish.com/feb14.htm

ПОЗДРАВЛЕНИЯ !!!