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WorksheetsThe History of Valentine's Day
Total questions: 19
Worksheet time: 10mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
The origins of Valentine's Day go back to ancient Rome, but it was on the 15th of February.
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
2.
The date changed to 14th of February in 1161 because it was the French King’s birthday & he wanted to feel like everyone was celebrating with him without having to pay for them to do so.
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
3.
In the 12th Century it was renamed ‘Valentine’s’ because the 14th of February was St Valentine’s Patron Saint day & they wanted celebrations to all be linked to Christianity.
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
4.
It is believed that the real reason for the name is due to Emperor Claudius II executing two men — both named Valentine — on February 14th in different years during the Third Century. Honouring their martyrdom is the real reason the Catholic Church promoted the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
5.
The truth is that the Valentines we have today is from people confusing the catholic day with the norman- Galentin’s Day - which celebrated single women & sounded the same
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
6.
The reality of it lies with Emperor Claudius III's belief that single men made better soldiers - and so banned marriage! The law was changed back but only because he literally had a knife in his back forcing him to do so, otherwise the dagger would have impaled his heart...by a soldier named Valentine.
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
7.
For over 600 years, the day had NOTHING to do with romance, instead people prayed all day and then huge feasts were held
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
8.
Henry VIII changed it when he became king, as he LOVED love & made it a public holiday in England, which it remains to this day
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
9.
Henry VIII made it a law that every adult had to have the name of their ‘valentine’ written and pinned onto their sleeve, because he wanted everyone to be in love - this is where the phrase ‘WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE’ comes from.
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
10.
In 1637, the Emperor of Spain made a law that if you were unmarried & over the age of 14, you had to marry the first person you ‘laid eyes on' but it didn’t work as everyone walked around with their eyes shut
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
11.
The phrase ‘FROM YOUR VALENTINE’ was started by Shakespeare as a joke in one of his plays, but is the reason why sending a card or love letter became such a big thing
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
12.
The real story dates back to St Valentine - he was secretly married to a girl he cured from blindness - which as a priest was a big no no - and wrote to her in secret, signing the letters “from your valentine”
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
13.
The first real Valentine was sent by the Duke of Orleans to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. In the hopes of appearing innocent, he had been spending his time reading every biblical text he could get and came across the way St Valentine signed off his letters and copied it. And it worked!!! He wasn’t beheaded, returned home to France, and lived to an old, old age.
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
14.
The popular Valentine’s Day candy hearts with messages printed on them, started out as medical lozenges for the throat! After inventing a machine to produce lozenges, the inventor started putting messages inside them to encourage people to use them. His brother stole the idea and the machine, making candies with messages for Valentines and made a fortune. Which is surprising considering the original messages were things like - “Married in white, you have chosen right. Married in pink, he will turn to drink. Married in black, he will send you back”
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
15.
People now spend more money buying Valentines gifts for their pets than they do a romantic partner
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
16.
For Valentine's Day, the Bronx Zoo lets you name a cockroach after your ex.
a)
FALSE
b)
TRUE
17.
Teachers in America receive the most cards on Valentines Day
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
18.
The person who receives the most cards & love letters on Valentine’s Day is Juliet - as in the Juliet from Romeo & Juliet. Even though she’s been dead for hundreds of years, people still send her tens of thousands of them every year!!
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
19.
People still send love letters worldwide, in fact more people send a card or note in the mail for Valentines Day, than the total amount of mail sent over the rest of the year
a)
TRUE
b)
FALSE
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