The History of Valentine's Day

Video activity - 3.39 minutes

Do you know why Valentine’s day falls on February 14th? How did this holiday originate? Where does it come from?

Watch the clip and choose the best option to the statements or questions below.

1The origin of this holiday can be traced back to

a)Greece  b)Rome  c)Ireland

2.Lupercalia was a festival

a)celebrated in mid February   b)in honour of Romulus

c)in honor of a saint

3.The Roman god of fertility was

a)Pan  b)Cupid  c)Faunus

4.When was February 14th declared St. Valentine's Day to validate the pagan festival?

a)in the 4th century  b)in the 5th century  c)in the 15th century

5.There were several saints called Valentine.

a)True  b)False

6.Claudius, the emperor,...

a)banned marriages of soldiers  b)wanted his soldiers to be married  c)wanted Father Valentine to celebrate weddings

7.Valentine was sentenced to death because...

a)he was in love with the emperor's daughter  b)he didn't obey the emperor's orders  c)he didn't want to celebrate weddings

8.February 14th is the day when

a)Valentine was executed  b)the emperor died  c)Valentine's girlfriend died

9.The note “from your Valentine” was first witten...

a)by the emperor’s daughter  b)by Father Valentine  c)by the Roman people

10.Cupid is described as...

a)the Greek god of love  b)the lost son of Venus  c)the winged match-maker

11.How many roses are sold approximately on this day in the US?

a)180 million   b)18 million    c)1.8 million

12.How many heart-shaped boxes of candy are sold approximately on this day in the US?

a)6 billion    b)36 million   c)16million

13.How much money do Americans spend during this holiday?

a)14 million dollars  b)40 million dollars  c)14 billion dollars

14.According to the poets “Love...

a)...doesn’t need gifts”  b)...is really all you need”  c)...grows everywhere.”

Answers here!