Love, Cupid, hearts, chocolates, cards, and flowers are everywhere-it’s Valentine’s Day! On February 14, Americans celebrate love and friendship. But where did this holiday of affection come from?
The origins of Valentine’s Day are murky. We do know that the ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a spring festival, on the 15th of February. With the introduction of Christianity, the holiday moved to the 14th of February–the saint day that celebrated several early Christian martyrs named Valentine. But somewhere along the way, Valentine’s Day came to represent romance.
“Will you be my Valentine?” Nowadays, people often ask this of their loved ones in greeting cards. Probably the first greeting cards, handmade valentines, appeared in the 16th century. As early as 1800, companies began mass-producing cards. Initially, these cards were hand-colored by factory workers. By the early 20th century even fancy lace and ribbon-strewn cards were created by machines.
I think our Head Start students were more excited about dressing up and giving gifts than the history lesson. All of 30+ centers throughout New Mexico participated in Valentine’s Day fun. They exchanged gifts, are yummy food and had fun!
Thank you to all of our hard-working teachers that took so many wonderful pictures of all of the happy students!
Recent Comments