Saint Valentine's Day[1] (commonly shortened to Valentine's Day[1][2][3]) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.[1][3] The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[4] The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th century America, where many Valentine cards are now general greeting cards rather than declarations of love, was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.[5] It's considered one of the Hallmark holidays. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.[6]
The book is man's best friend. The book has come a long way in history before he acquired the kind which has in our days. She became our friend and helper, never betraying and not leave alone. The book educates us, shapes our views and responds to complex questions. Reading enriches our inner world, and that our life becomes more interesting, fuller and richer. People in any age find in books food for the mind. As said D. Diderot, "people cease to think, when cease to read." Of recently read books I remember the story of Boris Vasilyev "Tomorrow was the war...". This book is about true and selfless friendship of adolescents, the willingness to help each other and support in difficult times. The main character works — the ninth-grader Iskra Polyakova. Having read the novel, you know that such a name selected by the author for a reason. The name determines the nature and actions of the heroine. Where there is a spark of life begins to bubble. She has been a chieftain in a skirt, which all believe, appreciate and listen. The main advantage of Spark is the ability to make friends.
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[4]
The sending of Valentines was a fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester, Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th century America, where many Valentine cards are now general greeting cards rather than declarations of love, was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the United States.[5] It's considered one of the Hallmark holidays.
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average twice as much money as women.[6]