Valentine’s Day is very near and it’s time to shower the ones you love with cards, chocolates and Cabernet! I remember when my Mom and I went to see the Texas Ballet Theatre’s performance of Romeo and Juliet. It was especially romantic because right before the curtain went up, the dancers who were playing Romeo and Juliet were engaged!
Enjoy these Valentine’s Day facts to help get you in the mood for the big day with five things you might not know about Valentine’s Day.
- Did you know that St. Valentine was a Roman Catholic priest who held secret marriage ceremonies for couples in defiance of Roman Emperor Claudius II? Valentine was imprisoned and fell in love with a jailer’s daughter, who visited him during his sentence. On February 14th , 269 A.D., Claudius II ordered the execution of St. Valentine. Before his death, he sent her a love letter that ended in “from your Valentine.” It’s funny to think that Shakespeare’s Claudius was the one who married Romeo and Juliet.
- The first box of Valentine’s Day chocolates were created by Richard Cadbury (British chocolatier) in 1868. We thank him for coming up with the first heart-shaped box of chocolates.
- Have you seen the movie Letters to Juliet? On Valentine’s Day Juliet receives over 1,000 letters and the most beautiful letter is awarded the Dear Juliet Prize from the The Juliet Club.
- Besides letters to Juliet, teachers are said to receive the most Valentine’s Day cards and chocolates…lucky me! This is always and exciting time for children…preparing our mailboxes to hold all the dear cards we will receive.
- We can thank Alexander Graham Bell for the telephone when you call the ones you love. It was on Valentine’s Day in 1876, he applied for a patent for the telephone.
- Legend has it the saying “wear your heart on your sleeve” began with a Valentine’s Day tradition. In the Middle Ages young men and women would pull out paper hearts from a bowl with a name on it and claim that person as their Valentine. The person’s name they chose would be pinned to their sleeves for a week.
- The most romantic gift ever was the Taj Mahal in India. Mughal Emperor Shahjahan built it as a stunning memorial to his beloved wife.
Shop for the loves of your life…
You’re intoxicating heart bottle opener
Heart collage wall print from minted
The best Valentine’s Day cards
Pretty heart water bottles
Class Valentine’s Day cards that are “Sew Lovely”
A sweet Valentine’s Day story for the children called Snowy Valentine.
This is a book excerpt from Julia Child about her husband Paul in My Life in France …it is perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Paul had been raised in Boston by a rather bohemian mother who had lived in Paris and was an excellent cook. He was a cultured man, ten years older than I was, and by the time we met, during World War II, he had already traveled the world. Paul was a natty dresser and spoke French beautifully, and he adored good food and wine. He knew about dishes like moules marinières and boeuf bourguignon and canard à l’orange — things that seemed hopelessly exotic to my untrained ear and tongue. I was lucky to marry Paul. He was a great inspiration, his enthusiasm about wine and food helped to shape my tastes, and his encouragement saw me through discouraging moments. I would never have had my career without Paul Child.
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