Reading. St. Valentines and Carnival

Valentine's Day is a traditional celebration of romantic love. It's celebrated on 14 February in many places. Here's how people celebrate it!

Cards

Sending a Valentine's card to someone you love is a custom that started more than a century ago. Couples give cards to each other, but you can also send an anonymous card to anyone you secretly love. Symbols on Valentine's cards include hearts, doves and the winged figure Cupid holding a bow and arrow.

Poems

Inside the cards, people normally write a message to show their feelings. One way to do this is by writing a poem in the card. Probably the most famous lines from a Valentine's Day poem are:

Roses are red, violets are blue,
Sugar is sweet, and so are you.

Gifts

As well as cards, 14 February is a day for giving gifts. Popular gifts include red roses, a box of chocolates, a teddy bear and a photo frame. More expensive ones include a meal in a nice restaurant, perfume, jewellery or a session at a health club.

However, some people complain that Valentine's Day has become too commercial. Actually, anything that your partner likes can be a great gift, and it does not need to be expensive. It can even be free! Some people make a video out of all their photos, add some nice music and then send it to their loved one on the day. You can also make a playlist of songs that you both like, and share it with them. Perhaps even more meaningfully, you can simply spend time with your loved one on Valentine's Day and give them your time and attention.

Valentine's Day is also a popular day to either propose or get married. You'd never forget your wedding anniversary!

Not for everyone?

Not everyone likes Valentine's Day. It can be a difficult time for people who are single, lonely or missing somebody. Some people feel they show their love for their partner every day, so they don't need to buy things just because it's Valentine's Day. Other people, single or not, think Valentine's Day is boring and unoriginal.

Many people just take 14 February as a normal day or do something special to celebrate the love they have for their friends and family. There are even anti-Valentine's events for people who are not in a romantic mood! Having competitions to make the worst Valentine's Day card, inviting people to a 'broken-hearted disco' or organising fancy-dress dating events are just a few fun ideas.

Carnival is an annual festival celebrated in many different ways in many countries around the world. Some of the world's most famous carnivals are held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, New Orleans, USA, and Venice, Italy. Find out what happens in these and one other carnival you may not have heard of.

What's carnival all about?

Carnival is a festival that happens over a few days, usually just before Lent, in February or March. Because traditionally many people go on a fast during Lent, giving up meat, sugar or other foods and drink, carnival is an opportunity to enjoy these treats for the last time. It is a time to celebrate and party, with music and dancing in the streets. Some people believe that carnival is actually older than the Christian period of Lent, and that it started as the Roman festival of Saturnalia.

New Orleans

One of the most famous carnivals in the world is in New Orleans, USA. It is called Mardi Gras, which is French for 'Fat Tuesday', the day when people would traditionally eat up all the fat before starting the Lent fast. The celebration in New Orleans lasts around two weeks, with a parade every day. Groups of people, called 'krewes', dress up in special costumes and ride on decorated floats. They throw small gifts to the people watching, especially strings of beads. There are also many balls, especially masked balls. Mardi Gras is very popular with tourists, and it is estimated that well over a million people visit every year to join the celebrations.

Rio de Janeiro

The carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is considered the biggest in the world, with around two million people celebrating on the streets each day. Rio Carnival is famous for its samba music and for the amazing costumes and floats. In 1984, the government decided to give the carnival a special stadium, called the Sambadrome, where people could buy tickets to go and see the parades. However, there are still plenty of street parties and parades happening all over the city.

The parades are a kind of competition and the samba 'schools', or groups, are judged on their costumes, dancing, floats and music. Some samba schools spend millions of dollars on their preparations, but it is estimated that carnival makes over $40 million from ticket sales and advertising.

Venice

Carnival in Venice is a much quieter celebration, but it is still very famous, mainly for the beautiful masks that people wear. Traditionally, the masks are made and decorated by hand, with gold, jewels and feathers. There is a competition for the most beautiful mask, and there are many masked balls and other celebrations.

In St Mark's Square, there is an open-air theatre where you can watch traditional plays, and there are also classical music concerts. Because the streets are very narrow, there are candlelit parades on boats through the canals of the city. Watching all the people dressed in masks and costumes wandering through the city makes you feel as if you have stepped back in time to the 18th century.

Binche

The carnival in Binche, Belgium, is not as famous as some of the others, but it may have the longest history. It dates back to the 14th century. Up to 1,000 men and boys, called 'Gilles', dress up in masks, costumes and wooden shoes. They also wear very tall feather hats, up to 90cm tall. The Gilles dance through the streets and throw oranges at the crowd. This can sometimes cause accidents and break windows, but it is supposed to be good luck if you are hit by an orange.

All over the world, carnival is a time to celebrate and have a good time with friends and family. Have a great carnival, if you're celebrating this year!

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