St. Valentine’s Day
With its annual issues of stamps for St. Valentine’s Day, Norway Post has helped to encourage a fine tradition: writing love letters for St. Valentine’s Day, 14 February. 14 February has become a letter-writing day all over the world. Text messages and e-mails may be the modern form of communication, but people still write letters, particularly for St. Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing to beat a hand-written love letter, and a letter accompanied by a romantic stamp is guaranteed success.
It has become very popular to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. According to legend, St. Valentine was thrown into prison and condemned to death in 270 AD because he would not deny his God. While he was in prison, he gave lessons to the jailer’s blind daughter, Julia, and taught her about God. One day while Valentine and Julia were praying together, a light appeared in the cell. “I can see, I can see!” Julia cried, while Valentine fell to his knees and thanked God. Before he was executed, Valentine wrote a letter to Julia declaring his love for her.
On the day after his execution, 14 February, Julia planted an almond tree on Valentine’s grave. Today the almond tree remains the symbol of abiding love and friendship. 14 February was later established as St. Valentine’s Day and in more recent times has become an international day of celebration − perhaps more in the spirit of commerce than of the church, but nevertheless a success.
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