Valentine's Day
Americans celebrate Valentine's Day each year
on February fourteenth.
It is a holiday for lovers.
Valentine's Day is a good day
for a man to ask his girlfriend to marry him.
It is also a good day for couples to get married.
Other couples might go out for a special meal
at a nice restaurant.
The holiday is named for Saint Valentine.
He was an early Christian churchman
who reportedly helped young lovers.
Valentine was executed for his Christian beliefs
on February fourteenth, more than 1,700 years ago.
But the day that has his name is even older than that.
The ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers
more than 2,000 years ago.
As part of the celebration,
each girl wrote her name on a piece of paper
and put it in a large container.
Each boy reached into the container
and pulled out the name of a girl.
That girl became his girlfriend for a year.
Lovers still put their names on pieces of paper
on Valentine's Day.
They send each other cards that express their love.
Sometimes they send other gifts, too,
like jewelry... or flowers... or candy... or all three!
Americans usually send cards
through the mail system or in a computer message.
But there is another way many Americans
send messages of love on Valentine's Day.
They pay to have them printed in a newspaper.
Some of these messages are simple and short:
"Susan, I love you very much. From John."
Others say more, like this example:
"David, roses are red, violets are blue.
I hope you love me as much as I love you. Forever, Mary."
There is only one problem
in sending a Valentine's Day message this way.
It will only reach the one you love
if he or she reads the newspaper that day!