VALENTINE‘S DAY

On 14th February people all over the world celebrate

Valentine’s Day. Couples send messages or cards and

they give presents. It’s a day that’s all about love and

also to honor the Saint Valentine.

An important valentine figure is Cupid (Latin cupido, "desire"). In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros, god of love.

• Common symbols of Valentine's Day are:

- hearts

- red roses

- Cupid

Before Listening

1. Have you ever been in love? How did it make you feel?

2. Do you have a girl/boyfriend? How do you feel around him/her?

3. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why (not)?

4. Is the saying “love is blind” true to you? Try to explain.

Song

1. Listen to the song and fill the blanks using the words from the box:

heart – arrow – bow – strong – swear – man - happiness

cupid

Vocabulary

heart

arrow

bow

strong

swear

man

happiness

Listen to the song

Reading warm up

1. Say three words we associate with Valentine’s Day.

2. When do people celebrate Valentine’s Day in USA and Brazil?

3. Where do you think Valentine’s Day comes from?

4. How do people celebrate Valentine’s Day

Origin of Valentine’s Day

People all around the world write cards for their boyfriends or girlfriends on this day. Lots of people buy flowers and other gifts on St. Valentines Day.

The holiday is named after a Christian priest named Valentine. He lived during the reign of Claudius II in Rome. During his reign, marriage was forbidden because he believed that married soldiers didn’t want to go to war.

So when Claudius found out that Valentine married young couples in secret, he arrested and sentenced him to death. In prison Valentine fell in love with the daughter of the prison warden. He wrote her a farewell letter and signed it with “your Valentine”. He was decapitated on 14th February.

Everybody thought Valentine was a good man because he helped lovers. That’s why we have St. Valentine’s Day every year.  

Check your answers

1. Love, flowers, present...

2. They celebrate it on February, 14th in USA and on June, 13th in Brazil.

3. It came from Rome, Europe.

Writing

• On Valentine’s Day people write each other Valentines. Often they have a poem on them. There are only ten words, written in a special style. They aren’t difficult to write.

Read the Valentine’s card and write your own to a classmate.

Line 1: write your classmate’s name

Line 2: write two adjectives describing the person

Line 3: write a sentence or two to the person, a good wish.

Patrícia,

happy and funny,

You’re a special

girl.

Happy Valentine’s Day