by Kevin Hampton

Created on: January 18, 2007   Last Updated: March 04, 2011

" Valentine's Day crafts for school age children "

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 and is traditionally observed as a holiday dedicated to love. February 14 was officially declared as St. Valentine's Day by Pope Gelasius I around 498 A.D. Valentine's Day was noticed for one of at least three different martyred saints named Valentine or Valentinus and recognized by the Catholic Church. Most of what is known of these three saints is found in France and England from the middle ages.

One legend decrees that Valentine was a priest in Rome during the 3rd century. When Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men, deciding that single men made better soldiers, Valentine defied him and continued to perform marriages. When Valentine was discovered the Emperor had him put to death. Another legend decrees that Valentine was imprisoned and fell in love with the daughter of his jailer and before he was put to death sent her a note revealing his feelings for her and signed it "From your Valentine."
It's estimated that at least one billion valentine cards are sent each year and more than twice that amount are sent for Christmas, making these two holidays the most profitable for the greeting card industry. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was written around 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans. It was a poem to his wife which he wrote while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

February has been observed as a time of love and fertility since ancient times. In ancient times the period between mid-January and mid-February were dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera. The child-like deity commonly associated with Valentine's Day is Cupid the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. In Greek mythology Cupid is known as Eros, Aphrodite's son.

An expression of love can be made in many forms and there are many different types of love. The love for one's siblings may feel similar to the love one has for a spouse or lover but they are extremely different. Love for ones siblings can be expressed by a hug while love for one's neighbor can be satisfied and/or surpassed by a greeting card. Ultimately a greeting card seems to work for any situation. The best cards are the one's with which the creator has taken the most thought and made the most commitment. It isn't always easy to write how you feel, so the best way to do it is to be extremely blunt and simple. For example, if you love someone then you should write "I love you". If you would

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>