History of ST Valentine's Day

Read the text about St Valentine’s Day and after reading be ready to answer the questions. Most of countries in our world have a day to celebrate love, friendship and kind relationships. Valentine’s Day is said to take its origin from 3rd Century Rome as a tribute to a Catholic bishop. Before the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February. The celebration was made to honor Juno (Goddess of Women and Marriage)

Who was St Valentine?

During the reign of Emperor Claudius II, Rome was engaged into several cruel battles. The Emperor continuously needed to recruit soldiers to strengthen his army; however, not many soldiers wanted to join the battles because they had wives and families or they were in love. Christian Connection

Romantic symbols on Valentine’s Day. Many couples give each other roses. To give someone flowers at any time of year is romantic, and as roses are a symbol of romance, roses on Valentine’s Day are especially popular.

Romantic symbols on Valentine’s Day. Another symbol of romance that is seen frequently on Valentine’s Day is Cupid. In Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. Cupid was often shown as a smaller, more playful version of his mother. His golden arrows were magical and even slight contact with one of the arrow tips could make a person fall madly in love.

Answer the questions: When does Valentine’s day take its origin from?

Valentine’s Day is said to take its origin from 3rd Century

When had the Romans practiced a pagan celebration?

The Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February.

WAT WAS ROME ENGAGED INTO DURING THE REIGN OF Emperor Claudius?

Rome was engaged into several cruel battles.

What did the Emperor continuously need?

The Emperor continuously needed to recruit soldiers to strengthen his army.

Why didn’t soldiers want to join the battles?

A lot of soldiers didn’t want to join the battles because they had wives and families or they were in love.

Why did Claudius decide to ban Marriages?

Claudius decided to ban marriages to have more soldiers to participate into battles.

What did Valentine secretly do?

Valentine was a priest who defied Claudius’ new law by secretly arranging marriages of young men and women.

What happened When Valentine‘ was discovered by the Emperor?

Valentine was brutally beaten up and put to death on February 14, about 270 AD.

What happened when Valentine was in prison?

While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer.

What phrase is still used on Valentine cards today?

"From your Valentine."

When did Valentine’s Day become popular in Great Britain?

In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day became popular in the 17th century.

When was Valentine's Day imported to North America?

in the 19th century by British settlers.

What are the most commonly exchanged Valentine's Day Gifts?

Roses, candies and chocolates

The Tiniest Flower Pre-reading Task: Match the words with their descriptions. A/sweethearts B/ Saint Valentine’s date C /a chocolate box D/candies E/Love cards F/a wrapped bouquet of flowers

Read the story. It was Valentine’s Day, a very special day when sweethearts express their love and offer presents such as flowers, chocolate and even love poems . At the corner flower shop there were the most beautiful flowers in the city . Some flowers were put in bouquets , while others stood alone. But they all had lovely fragrance and looked their best because they all wanted to be given to someone as a symbol of love .

Almost all the flowers were red because that’s the colour of love, but some were pink. Among these grand flowers, there was the Tiniest Flower: a small, shy blue daisy. That little daisy had big dreams. She wanted to be given to someone as a special Valentine’s Day present. Jack came to the Corner flower shop on his way to work just as it was opening and said : «I want a lovely bouquet of five red roses for my fiancée, Kate!»And he looked around the shop and saw exactly the beautiful roses he wanted; he didn’t even notice the Tiniest Flower. The owner of the shop wrapped the roses in a red paper and tied them with a red ribbon. The twins Peter and Paul came next. Peter chose the longest purple Orchid whereas Paul selected the biggest white Lotus that smelled very nice. Both of them were in love with pretty girls who lived in the neighbourhood .

By now the tiny blue daisy was feeling neglected and very sad. The day went on and almost all the flowers were bought except for The tiniest Flower and a red tulip with one petal missing . Yet, She was still ambitious that she would be wrapped in glittering paper, tied with a beautiful ribbon and offered to a special person. While she was daydreaming, a very busy man wearing a suit and a tie arrived «I forgot to buy my wife something and it’s Valentine’s Day today! Oh, I’ll take the red tulip, at least it’s bigger and nicer than that tiny blue daisy!» Then he added «I’ll buy my wife a heart-shaped box of chocolate and she’ll never notice the missing petal.»

The tiny blue daisy felt more and more worried as the owner was getting ready to close the shop . Suddenly a little boy came running to the shop: «Please, please, don’t close», said Mike «I need a flower for my mom». You see, Mike’s mother was lying in hospital. «There’s only one flower left, this tiny blue daisy», the shop owner said. Mike’s face lit up, he smiled and said:  »It’s great! My mother loves daisies and blue is her favourite colour!» He took the Tiniest flower wrapped in a beautiful paper and tied with a nice ribbon and took his way to the hospital. When he gave his mom the flower, she was so surprised and happy that she started to cry. «This is the best Valentine‘s Day present I‘ve ever got in my life», she said to Mike. And she gave him a big hug and lots of kisses .

And would you believe it? The Tiniest Flower was so happy and proud that she even grewa little bigger ! All her big dreams had come true !After-reading tasks. Task 1 : Read the First paragraph and answer the questions:

Task 2: Read all the story again and fill in the table with information from the text (pair work)

Task3 : Focus on the last paragraph and answer this question: Did The Tiniest flower succeeded in making Mike and his mother happy on Valentine’s Day? Justify Task4 : Classify the adjectives that best describe the daisy before and after being purchased. Bigger/ Happy/ the tiniest / hopeful/ a bit worried /ambitious/ proud/ thoughtful /satisfied /patient .

Task 5: Choose the approriate moral lesson of this inspirational story. Why do you think so? A/ Flowers are the best presents on Valentine’s Day. B/Never forget to give a present on Valentine ‘s Day. C/ It’s not the size of the present that matters, but the thought behind it .

Draw a Valentine’s card with your partner. There are some ideas you can use: