VALENTINE’S DAY
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY, XOXO!!!
Have you ever seen someone sign an email or card like this XOXO?
Do you know what it means?
The letter X represents a KISS* and the O is a HUG*. WHY????
It is believed that this custom comes from the Middle Ages*.
Sometimes people had to sign a document but they did not know how to write. So they would write an X and then kiss it as a way to show the signature* was true. (I suppose they symbol for a hug is just obvious…)
Do you know the expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve“? In Spanish it would be something like “llevar tu corazón en la manga”. A bit strange. It means that you don’t hide your feelings; that other people know how you feel, especially about another person.
Why do we say that?
Again, it appears that this expression comes from medieval times. On Valentine’s Day, unmarried men and women used to pick a name from a plate and pin the name to the sleeve of their clothes. For a week! Not too sure what happened after that. Do you know?
Check out these posts for more interesting facts on holidays and traditions:
VOCABULARY FOR TODAY: VOCABULARIO EN INGLES PARA HOY
KISS = un beso, besar
HUG = un abrazo, abrazar
THE MIDDLE AGES = la edad media
SIGNATURE = when you write your name on a document, this is your signature
