Small Town Times February2018 (1) | Página 3

Valentine ’ s Day By : Chanachon “ Nam ” Boonphakdee
CUTIE ORANGE $ 1.00 CAN OF CRUSH $ 2.00

Valentine ’ s Day By : Chanachon “ Nam ” Boonphakdee

We all know that February 14 th of every year marks Valentine ’ s Day , a day to show your love and affection to those who matter the most to you . Yet , there may be a few things that you may not know about this widely celebrated day . Here are some Valentine ’ s Day facts : Fun fact # 1 : Valentine ’ s Day is named in honor of a Christian Saint : Saint Valentine . However , the origin of Saint Valentine is shrouded in mystery . No historical record found has ever mentioned a “ Saint Valentine ” in any time period . Yet , legend has it that the Saint lived during the Roman Empire time period , and that he presided over secret Christian weddings . Fun fact # 2 : The origins of Valentine ’ s Day being put in mid-February is also shrouded in mystery . Some say that it is to commemorate the death ( and burial ) of Saint Valentine . Others say that it is to “ Christianize ” the Pagan holiday of Lupercalia . Basically , Lupercalia is a Pagan tradition to give prayers to the Roman god of agriculture “ Faunus .” The tradition begins with sacrificing a goat and stripping its hide and then dipping the strips in blood and using the strips to slap both woman and crops to ensure fertility for the upcoming year . Fun fact # 3 : It wasn ’ t until the early Middle Ages that the 14 th of February was associated with love . It is theorized that the date came around because that it was the beginning of mating season for a particular , unnamed , bird . Fun fact # 4 : The very first Valentine ’ s love note was presumably written by Charles , Duke of Orleans who wrote a love poem to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the battle of Agincourt in 1415 . The letter is still in existence today and it is being kept in the British Library in London . Fun fact # 5 : Historians generally agree that Americans began exchanging Valentine ’ s cards in the early 1840 ’ s . The tradition was first pioneered by Esther A . Howland , also named “ the mother of Valentines .” She began the tradition by sending out hand-made cards made with real lace , ribbons and colorful pictures . Fun fact # 6 : Valentine ’ s Day is a very good day for the card industry . Approximately 1 billion cards are sold and exchanged in the US on Valentine ’ s Day every year , making it second only to Christmas . Fun fact # 7 : Ever heard the phrase “ wear your heart on your sleeve ?” Well that phrase actually has a historical meaning . Back in the middle ages , young men would draw their Valentines ’ names from a hat , lottery style . They would then have to wear the name on their sleeves for the week . Fun fact # 8 : A lot of candy hearts are produced on Valentine ’ s Day every year . How many you ask ? 8 billion ! If laid in a perfect line from end to end , it would be enough to stretch from Valentine , Arizona to Rome , Italy , and back again . Fun fact # 9 : Every year on Valentine ’ s Day , the city of Verona , Italy receives 1000 cards addressed to Juliet , the famous character from Shakespeare ’ s play Romeo and Juliet . Hopefully the senders will not be too heartbroken when they find out that Juliet actually dies in the play . Fun fact # 10 : Talk about loving your pets ; an average of nine million people buy Valentine ’ s gift for their pets . That wraps up this month ’ s top ten facts . Hopefully you learned something new about the “ day of love ” and we ’ ll see you in the next month . See ya ’ ll then !
SEND YOUR VALENTINE A “ CRUSH ” OR “ CUTIE ” MESSAGE THIS FEBRUARY !
FBLA IS SPONSORING A VALENTINE SALE AGAIN THIS YEAR ! TO SEND A CUTIE ( MINI-ORANGE ) OR CRUSH ( CAN OF ORANGE SODA ) TO ANY STAFF OR STUDENT IN THE LITCHFIELD SCHOOL , PLEASE PICK UP A CARD FROM THE LITCHFIELD SCHOOL OFFICE , SPEAK TO ANY FBLA OFFICER , OR CONTACT FBLA ADVISER , MRS . NIKIA HUNT BY TUESDAY , FEB 13 TH .

CUTIE ORANGE $ 1.00 CAN OF CRUSH $ 2.00

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