Be My Valentine

BE MY VALENTINE Dear Valentine, With love we're sending you these facts - about 14 February and why love and locomotives are meant for each other. Happy Valentine's Day, From redspottedhanky.com HISTORY Here are two of the most popular theories about the origin of Valentine's Day. ROMAN EMPEROR WEARING YOUR HEART ON LUPERCALIA CLAUDIUS II YOUR SLEEVE The second theory is that while the Roman Emperor Claudius Il was trying to bolster his army, he forbade young men to marry (apparently single • men make better soldiers). In the spirit of love, St. Valentine defied the ban and performed secret marriages. For his disobedience, Valentine was executed on February 14. "Wearing your heart on your sleeve" is more The first is that the day derives from Lupercalia, a raucous Roman fertility festival where single men and women were paired together for a year. than just a phrase. In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names to see who their Valentine would be. They would wear the name pinned to their sleeve for one week so that everyone would know their supposed true feelings. 14 XOXO BIZARRE FOODS Girls of medieval KING'S DECLARATION Many believe the 'X' symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future spouse. In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day. with an 'X.' The 'X' was then kissed to show their sincerity. Nowadays you can add a O or two to symbolise a hug. FLOWERS PINK Happiness, Appreciation, Thankfulness, Grace, Gentle love, Please RED Love, Romance, Beauty, Passion, I love you, Desire, Courage, Don't want to send mixed signals with your bouquet? Make sure you check out the believe me. VORANGE Fascination, Desire, secret colour code of roses! Passion, Enthusiasm LAVENDER Love at first sight, Enchantment V WHITE Purity, Youth, Pure Love, Virginal, Innocence and purity, I am worthy of you, You're heavenly. WHAT ARE LOVERS BUYING? IMixed Flowers VYELLOW Joy, Gladness, Friendship, Delight, Platonic Love, Jealousy, Freedom IRed Roses IRoses (not red) Other type of flower IPlants CARDS FRAKTUR ACROSTIC valentines containing verses in which the first lines spelled-out the loved one's name. PINPRICK valentines made by pricking tiny holes in paper with a pin or needle and thus valentines with Early Valentine cards were always handmade and if you wanted to impress, then you'd have to put some time and thought into your design rather than just popping to the late night garage to buy one. ornamental lettering in the style of illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages. creating the appearance of lace THEOREM OR PUZZIK OR POONAH valentines with designs which were painted through a stencil cut in oil paper. This particular style originated in the Orient. CUTOUT made by folding the paper several times and then cutting-out a lacelike design with small sharp-pointed scissors. PUZZLE PURSE a folded puzzle to be read, solved and then refolded. This valentine contained many folds of verses that had to be read in a certain Royal Mail o0,00,0 o REBUS sequence. According to the Greeting Card Association, 190 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually. That's 3 each for everyone in the UK! valentines which contained romantic verses written in ink with certain words omitted and illustrated by tiny pictures instead. LOVE, THE LOCOMOTIVE AND THE SILVER SCREEN LESTHE MOSTECINULAR SIKW ON CARTH NOEL COWARDS BRIEF ENCOUNTER CELIA JOHNSON TREVOR HOWARD STANLEY HOLLOWAY JOVCE CAREY CYRIL RAYMOND IMERT G M WATER ELEPILANTS WATER FOR BRIEF LOVE IN THE ELEPHANTS ENCOUNTER AFTERNOON R-Patz and Reese Witherspoon sizzled on screen playing lovers aboard a circus train during the Great Depression of the 1920s and 30s. In this movie, the ever-elegant Audrey Hepburn runs along a platform chasing her lover who sweeps her off the platform and into his arms. Voted one of the best, most romantic films of all time, the 1940s film Brief Encounter saw star-crossed sweethearts bid farewell on a smoke filled platform. THIS VALENTINE'S DAY, TAKE THE TRAIN TO... 1 LIVERPOOL 2 BIRMINGHAM According to Google statistics, Liverpool is Blighty's most romantic city. And it's where Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, will be spending her first Valentine's Day as a married woman – sadly, without Wills. 40 per cent of the UK's jewellery is made in Birmingham - making it the perfect place to buy an engagement ring? 3 LONDON 4 DORSET The Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset is Artist Paul Day designed "The Meeting Place" - a sculpture of lovers embracing - for St Pancras Station. Why not embrace under the statue this Valentine's? associated with fertility - and many childless couples are thought to try their luck with a romantic rendezvous nearby. redspottedhanky.com