Hate it or love it, Valentine’s Day is hard to ignore. As some of us are faced with greeting card choices, scores of hearts, red flowers and chocolates begin to fill supermarket shelves and marketing for romantic dinners start springing up everywhere. But before February 14 became a billion-dollar celebration, how did Valentine's Day begin and was it always about love?
Here are a few facts about Valentine's Day that you might not know.
The exact origins are uncertain
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly how Valentine’s Day came to be, though it is often attributed to the Romans. The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by the Pope in 496 AD as a way to honour a Roman saint. It was only in the 1500s and 1600s that various traditions in different countries transformed the occasion into one that focused on courtly love and romance. The tradition of offering gifts and flowers dates from 18th century England.
Another theory traces the day’s origins to Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival that involved animal sacrifice. Priests would strike women with the animal hides as a fertility blessing.
There are many Saint Valentines
In ancient Roman times, the name Valentine – or Valentinus in Latin – was very common. So the Feast of Saint Valentine may be honouring more than one Christian martyr who goes by the name, though it is most commonly believed to refer to Saint Valentine of Rome, who ministered to persecuted Christians and was imprisoned as a result. He was said to have fallen in love with the daughter of his jailer, sending her a letter signed “Your Valentine” before his execution. He was buried on February 14.
The rise of printers helped form a tradition
In 18th century England, printing machines produced “mechanical valentines” or cards with verses and sketches, in limited numbers. The popularity of these paper Valentines quickly rose, and the commercial manufacture of even fancier cards, made with embossed designs and lace paper, began in the 1800s.
Around 450 Victorian Valentine cards are currently part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Special Collections, and the centre revealed that 60,000 Valentine cards were sent by post in the United Kingdom in 1835. When postal rates were reduced and the postage stamp was introduced, that number jumped to 400,000 in 1840.
Cadbury may have invented the chocolate heart
The commercialisation of Valentine’s Day is nothing new. While factories were mass-producing cards, the British chocolate company Cadbury invented a game-changing gift in 1868 – Fancy Boxes, a heart-shaped box of chocolates adorned with various designs.
Today, flowers, candies and chocolates are still among the most popular gifts on February 14
By the mid-1900s, gift-giving on Valentine’s Day was not just limited to cards and chocolates, but expanded to jewellry and other items as well. Today, flowers, candy and chocolates are still among the most popular gifts on February 14.
Traditions vary around the world
While the romantic core of Valentine’s Day has generally remained intact around the world, traditions do vary. In Japan and South Korea, women are the ones doing the wooing, giving men gifts and chocolates. A month later, on “White Day” or March 14, men reciprocate the gifts.
In Denmark, the Danes forgo the red roses and opt for snowdrops, white spring flowers, that they give alongside “lover’s cards” or notes on decorated paper with poems or rhymes written on them.
Countries such as Wales and Brazil have their celebrations of love on January 25 and June 12, respectively. The former doesn’t recognise Saint Valentine but the Welsh patron saint of lovers, Saint Dwynwen, instead. In Brazil, February 14 often coincidences with Carnival, so Lover’s Day is marked in June.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
New Zealand squad
Tim Southee (capt), Trent Boult (games 4 and 5), Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (games 1-3), Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
Wonka
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