Contents

When is Valentine’s Day?

Only

  • Valentine’s Day  2013 – Thursday
  • Valentine’s Day  2014 – Friday
  • Valentine’s Day  2015 – Satuday

2011 – When is Valentine’s Day is on a Monday.

  • The Legend of St Valentine
  • St Valentine
  • Valentine Day Crafts and
    Customs
  • Valentine Day Jokes
  • Funny Valentine Pictures
 

Malaysia Warns Muslims of Valentine’s Day “Trap”

Muslims make up nearly two-thirds of Malaysia’s 28 million population.

Malaysia has stepped up a campaign to stop Muslims celebrating
Valentine’s Day, Will and Guy have determined – labelling it a “trap” that
could encourage immoral behaviour. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin
said celebration of romantic love was ‘not suitable’ for Muslims.
Valentine’s Day is synonymous with “vice activities” said Wan Mohamad Sheikh
Abdul Aziz Department of Islamic Development.

St Valentine 14th Feburary

Several Malaysian states are planning to carry out checks on hotels to
stop young couples having intimate premarital relationships.

The anti-Valentine’s Day campaign by the country’s Islamic authorities
goes back to a fatwa issued in 2005.

Leaflets have been distributed to Muslim university students urging them
to avoid celebrations on 14th February.

First Valentine Ever

A lasting Legacy of 500-year-old Love

Love it or hate it, even the most hardened anti-Romeo will be hard
pressed to avoid Valentine’s Day this year.

Here is a letter which is on show at the British Library. It is a letter,
written from a young woman to her love, and is the first mention of the word
Valentine in the English language.

The letter shows they were no different to us, write Will and Guy.
They had the same loves, desires and financial problems.

In 1477 Margery wrote a letter to her John pleading with him not to give
her up, despite her parents’ refusal to increase her dowry.

First Valentine Card

Addressing her ‘ryght welebeloued Voluntyne’ (right well-beloved
Valentine), she promised to be a good wife, adding, ‘Yf that ye loffe me as
Itryste verely that ye do ye will not leffe me” ‘ (If you love me, I trust..
you will not leave me).

While romantics 534 years later might celebrate Valentine’s Day with fine
dining, chocolates and flowers, Margery is left pleading with her love not
to leave her while pledging her heart over all ‘earthly things’.

She promises her undying love, ‘Myne herte me bydds ever more to love
yowe truly’ (My heart me bids ever more to love you truly), and speaks of
her ailing body and heart over her fiance’s continuing silence.

However, modern-day lovers be reassured, like any self-respecting
fairytale romance the heart did rule the head and, despite her father’s
stubbornness over her dowry, Margery did marry her knight and the couple had
a son, William, in 1479. Margery died in 1495, John in 1503.

While her letter is also written on paper, there is one key difference.
She didn’t write it herself we have learned. It would have been dictated to
a man who would have written it for her. However, says Julian Harrison,
curator, ‘The fact that she isn’t writing the letter doesn’t mean she can’t
write, it means she can afford someone to write for her. People have assumed
that people in the past were illiterate, but actually levels of literacy may
have been higher than we think.’

A marvellous tale with which to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

The Legend of St Valentine

St
Valentine’s day history goes back to Roman times.  The emperor Claudius II was a student of human nature and way back in AD 287 he calculated that single men made braver soldiers than married men.
Therefore, as Claudius had absolute power, he dictated than no soldier should marry.  A Roman called Valentinus thought that this was rough justice and secretly married soldiers who had a sweetheart.

When Claudius discovered that Valentinus had defied his decree he threw Valentinus into jail.  Whilst incarcerated, Valentinus fell in love with the gaoler’s
daughter and sent her the first ever card –
from your sweet Valentine.  St Valentine 14th Feburary

 St Valentine

Much later, in AD 496 Pope Gelasius, chose 14 February as the day to honour
and remember Saint Valentine.  Unfortunately, tantalisingly little is known
about these early origins of St
Valentine.

In the history of St Valentine’s day, it is the 17th century which was the most important
and truly romantic era.  The 14th of February
became important as a day to exchange love notes by sending poems and gifts. Sometimes dances and small festivals were held.

In modern times, 1416, Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent one of the earliest
Valentines, from his imprisonment in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt.  He sent several Valentine poems to his wife in France.

Valentine Shock

St Valentine ‘Not the saint of love’

Britain’s Roman Catholic Church is advising lovelorn singles to direct
their 14 February requests for love to St Raphael, rather than St Valentine.
Over the years St Valentine has come incorrectly to be associated with
finding love, the Church says.  He is the patron saint for those who
have already found their soul mate.  St Raphael is the patron saint for
happy encounters and it is to him those fearing the Valentine’s post should
properly direct their prayers.

Valentine Day Crafts and Customs

In Guy’s
home country of Wales wooden love spoons are made and given as presents on 14 February. Hearts, keys and keyholes feature as decorations on these carved spoons as and invitation to ‘unlock my
heart’.Welsh love spoons

Valentines day history in Medieval times saw the youth of the time wearing names drawn from a hat on their sleeves. Hence the modern expression ‘to wear your heart on your sleeve’
. This means that other people can easily see
what you are feeling.

If a young lady sees a sparrow on February 14th flying overhead it means that she will marry a poor man and be extremely happy. If she saw a robin she would marry a mariner. A goldfinch
seen by a woman meant that she would marry into riches.

St Valentine’s
commercialisation probably began with the making and selling of cards in the 18th century.  Women in the 18th century would
write men’s
names on paper, roll them in clay and place them in a bowl of water. The first paper to rise to
the surface would contain the name of a woman’s
true love.

Wise Words

Never have children, only grandchildren.
Gore Vidal

Valentine Food – Raspberry Tart

Valentine Raspberry

P.S. If you have an
example of St Valentine’s Day history, then please send
it to us.

See more dates for 2011.  Also check the day of the week
for these festivals:

• Chinese New Year 2011
• Valentine’s Day 2011
• Chinese Valentine’s
2011   • St George Day 2011

•
Thanksgiving 2011   •
Christmas 2011   • Tour de France 2011
• Halloween 2011   •
Diwali 2011

• Ramadan 2011   •
Eid ul-Fitr 2011   •
Rosh Hashanahi 2011   •
Yom Kippur 2011   •
Hanukkah 2011