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nThisnday started out all about romantic love, but to some extent hasnspread to include friendship and love of family—think of all thenschool children exchanging funny Valentine cards, parents giving kidsnboxes of candy hearts (ornheart headbands), and kids giving them huge paper hearts withnmushy sentiments scrawled on them.
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Nownlots of sorta-kinda holidays have sprung up on this day to go alongnwith Valentine’s Day. One is International Quirkyalone Day, whichnencourages self-love along with all the other sorts of love. There isnalso Race Relations Day (let’s all love each other), and NationalnDonor Day (show your love through organ and blood donation) and evennWorld Marriage Day. There are some days that encourage us to livenheart-healthy lives and to study heart diseases – National Women’snHeart Day, National Have a Heart Day, and World Congenital HeartnDefect Awareness Day are all today.
Nownlots of sorta-kinda holidays have sprung up on this day to go alongnwith Valentine’s Day. One is International Quirkyalone Day, whichnencourages self-love along with all the other sorts of love. There isnalso Race Relations Day (let’s all love each other), and NationalnDonor Day (show your love through organ and blood donation) and evennWorld Marriage Day. There are some days that encourage us to livenheart-healthy lives and to study heart diseases – National Women’snHeart Day, National Have a Heart Day, and World Congenital HeartnDefect Awareness Day are all today.n
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nWherenand when did the heart symbol come from?
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Variousnancient cultures thought that the heart, rather than the brain, wasnthe source of thought and emotion. The ancient Egyptians, fornexample, thought this. That is why, when ancient Egyptians took greatncare to preserve all that is important in the human body during the process of mummification, they put the liver, intestines, lungs, andnstomach inside canopic jars; they left the heart inside the body sonthat it could be weighed in judgement; and the brain was pulled outnthrough the nose and thrown away!
Variousnancient cultures thought that the heart, rather than the brain, wasnthe source of thought and emotion. The ancient Egyptians, fornexample, thought this. That is why, when ancient Egyptians took greatncare to preserve all that is important in the human body during the process of mummification, they put the liver, intestines, lungs, andnstomach inside canopic jars; they left the heart inside the body sonthat it could be weighed in judgement; and the brain was pulled outnthrough the nose and thrown away!n
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nWenaren’t certain why the European heart symbol looks so different fromna human heart. Some people have speculated that it was copied fromnthe leaves of a silphium plant, or from the shape that swan necksnmake during their courtship ritual. n
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nSometimes,nthese days, the word heart and the heart symbol are used tonmean “to like or love.” An example is, “I heart NY,” whichnis the same thing as saying, “I love New York.” The OxfordnDictionary says that this usage may be the only example in thenEnglish language in which a usage came to be through T-shirts andnbumper stickers!
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nFornmore on Valentine’s Day, check out this earlier post.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nInventor and “Queen of Paper Bags” Margaret Knight’s birthday
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