Let’s brainstorm…

What do you know about Valentine’s Day? Have you ever been on a date?

What gift would you give to your boyfriend/girlfriend? What would be your ideal Valentine’s Day?

History of Valentine’s Day

On the 14th February each year, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the UK, Canada, USA, Mexico, France,
Australia, Denmark and Italy. It is a day for lovers, named after Saint Valentine.

Although it is not clear exactly who this man was, people say that he was either a priest who secretly
married couples during Emperor Claudius’ reign, or a Christian martyr who, upon his death and while in
prison, signed a note to the jailer’s daughter, “From your Valentine”.

Nowadays, couples are encouraged to celebrate their love for each other by exchanging gifts and doing
something romantic together. It is also a commercial occasion as there is pressure from shops and
restaurants to spend lots of money on presents, cards and flowers!

As well as gifts, people give Valentine’s Day cards in which they express their feelings of love, passion
and happiness to their loved one. However, those who are single often feel desperate to organise a date
with someone so that they are not alone on the 14th!

Did you know?

In pairs, read the following fun facts about Valentine’s Day
and guess the missing words.

1. According to a survey, people from Liverpool are three

times more likely than people from London to search for
“_ _ _ roses” or “_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ restaurants” just before
Valentine’s Day.

2. Women purchase approximately 85% of all Valentines

greeting _ _ _ _ _.

3. 73% of people who buy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ are men, while only

27% are women.

4. Over 35 million _ _ _ _ _-shaped boxes of chocolate will be

sold for Valentine's Day.

5. More than 1 billion dollars worth of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is

purchased for Valentine's Day in the USA.

6. The most fantastic gift of _ _ _ _ ever given is the Taj

Mahal in India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as
a memorial to his wife.