Valentine’s Day is a popular and widely celebrated holiday in the United States and focuses on both romantic love and general affection for those around you. In this article, you’ll learn a little bit about Valentine’s Day history, about modern traditions, and more fun facts about Valentine’s Day in the United States.
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→ Before continuing, you may want to read this blog post on popular romantic phrases in the United States!
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
1. What is Valentine’s Day in the United States?
Traditionally, this holiday is thought to have been celebrated in honor of Saint Valentine from the third century. This particular saint was known for marrying couples during a ban imposed by the Roman emperor Claudius II. It comes as no surprise, then, that Valentine’s Day has grown into the holiday we know it as today.
In addition to Saint Valentine, another one of the most popular Valentine’s Day symbols is Cupid. You’ll often hear this name associated with Valentine’s Day, and with romantic love in general. Cupid is often depicted as a chubby boy with wings who shoots heart-shaped arrows at people to make them fall in love.
In the United States, Valentine’s Day is a popular holiday centered on romance and affection. In addition, because Valentine’s Day is highly commercialized, it’s also one of the best holidays for businesses.
On Valentine’s Day, couples are encouraged to show each other love and affection, often going out of their way to make the other person feel special.
While Valentine’s Day is generally considered a happy and joyous holiday, it can be difficult for some people. This is especially true for people who are still single and don’t want to be or those who have recently gone through a breakup or divorce. On Valentine’s Day, it’s important to be considerate of the feelings of those around you.
2. Valentine’s Day Date
In the United States, couples celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14 each year.
3. Most Popular Valentine’s Day Traditions
Valentine’s Day is, among other things, a day when one partner is encouraged to essentially court their partner as they would before they were dating or married. Presenting a wife, lover, or girlfriend/boyfriend with flowers, candy, and other romantic gifts is a huge part of Valentine’s Day traditions in the United States.
During this particular holiday, the most romantic restaurants in any city will generally be booked solid. Sometimes, churches, businesses, restaurants, or other public places will host special Valentine’s Day events or offer discounts to couples. It’s not uncommon to see advertisements or signs for dances, inexpensive meals, parties, or great deals on common gifts.
This is particularly true of the floral industry, as giving one’s sweetheart red Valentine’s Day roses on this day is more or less expected. Clothing, jewelry, food, and other items are also popularly given to sweethearts and spouses on this day. There’s even a special kind of Valentine’s Day candy, called candy hearts, which are heart-shaped and often have cute sayings printed on them. For some couples, Valentine’s Day is when one member of the couple goes overboard to spoil the other and is delighted to do so.
Valentine’s Day celebrations can be very innocent, in addition to being romantic. In schools in the United States, children are quite frequently encouraged to make and exchange valentines (small gifts, candies, or cards), more as gestures of friendship than anything else. This allows everybody to get in on the fun. In some cases, people in the United States who are currently single will do something special for a friend who means a great deal to them and to whom they want to express affection, even though it’s not romantic affection.
Valentine’s Day cards are among the most impressive pieces of artwork associated with this holiday. Antique Valentine’s Day cards can fetch handsome prices from collectors due to their intricacy and their sometimes very imaginative artwork.
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→ Do you want to tell your sweetheart how you feel, but don’t know what to say? EnglishClass101.com has you covered with these Valentine’s Day expressions that are perfect for writing in a Valentine’s Day card!
4. Courtly Love
Do you know what type of love is associated with Valentine’s Day from the High Middle Ages?
Valentine’s Day has strong associations with what was called courtly love in the High Middle Ages. This was a highly ritualized form of romantic love where each partner was expected to do particular things to express their appreciation for one another.
When two people are dating each other, sometimes people refer to this as courting for the same reason.
5. Must-Know Valentine’s Day Vocabulary
Are you ready to review some of the vocabulary words from this article? Here’s a list of the most important English words and phrases for Valentine’s Day!
- Sweet
- Candy
- Present
- Girlfriend
- Boyfriend
- Rose
- Valentine’s Day
- Love
- Red
- Pink
- Chocolate
- Romance
- Kiss
- Hug
- Teddy bear
- Date
- Candy heart
- Valentine’s card
- Heart
- Bouquet
- Cupid
To hear each of these words pronounced, and to read them alongside relevant images, be sure to check out our English Valentine’s Day vocabulary list!
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what to expect on Valentine’s Day in the United States, are you ready to impress the love of your life and shower them with affection? EnglishClass101.com has you covered:
Or do you think this is the year you’ll ask that special someone to spend their life with you?
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
