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St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February.

It’s great fun to send or receive a Valentine was.

Not everybody knows why unsigned greetings of love are sent on this feast day.

It seems likely that he was Valentinus, a priest who was put to death by the Emperor Claudius for being a Christian.

The Church probably chose 14th February as his feast day in the hope of rollicking the Roman spring festival, when young men and girls celebrated because spring was coming.

About mid-February the woods begin to echo with birdsongs again after the silent days of winter.

Skylarks are heard singing high above meadowland. So this outburst of birdsong in early spring was also said to be connected with St.Valentine.

People imagine that on this feast day for exchanging loving greetings, birds too chose their mates before nest-building.

Shops sold ready-made Valentines, brightly coloured, lace-edged and boxed.

Young people might even buy and send more than one, just for fun of it.
Nowadays about a million cards are sent by post in the United Kingdom every St. Valentine’s Day.