Author by : Bud Smith

Ever wondered how February 14 became, the day on which we celebrate and explore love in all its many ideals, Valentines Day.

There are many differing opinions on how Valentines Day started.

One story say that when the Roman Empire reigned, a festival every February was held in honour of the God of Fertility and during this time, young men would choose their mate. When a Emperor named Claudius can around, he outlawed all marriages in fear that the men would not be able to fight. Young couples still fell in love though and still wished to marry and they took these desires to the Catholic Bishop Valentine who, understanding love, began to secretly marry couples. When Claudius found out, he had Valentine arrested and ordered put to death. While waiting in jail, Valentine began exchanging letters with the jailers daughter and soon had fallen in love with her. The day he was to be beheaded, he wrote her one last note and signed it: From Your Valentine.

Another story points to Christianity in 496 A.D outlawing the pagan Lupercian Festival and replacing it with a day in February to honour the martyr St. Valentine.

A third story as to the origin of passing out cards stems from a French Count who was captured and imprisoned in London. From his cell he wrote his wife letters, including a passionate set of poems which he sent to her in February.

At the turn of the century, a new form of Valentines Day card appeared the Penny Dreadful. Up until this point, cards were relatively expensive but the Penny Dreadful changed all that. They were just what the name implied, costing only one cent and completely bad. The cards were cheaply made, the artwork was amateurish and the colouring was uneven. On top of that the verses printed on them were not the most romantic of prose. They were more often insults, taking swipes at old maids, teachers and the like. Still their low cost kept them popular for years.

For hundreds of years, Valentines Day has been a day of symbols. You can hardly go through the day without seeing a rose (as a symbol to Venus, the Goddess of Love), images of doves and lovebirds (who mate for life) or hearts. The heart was thought to be the centre of all emotion. People believed that when they gave a heart, they were truly giving all of the love and emotion that they possibly could give.

Its past aside, Valentines Day is the second the most popular card sending holiday just behind Christmas with one billion a cards sent a year. When the calendar turns to February, we start to think of love. February has for centuries been designated the month for lovers, with the primary celebration being on February 14, St. Valentines Day. We send cards, flowers, and candy and our children give out Valentines in school. Valentines Day reminds us to tell our loved ones just how much we care about them.

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[tags]valentine,cupid,valentines day,holidays,february,heart,family[/tags]

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Author by : Eric Morris

Valentine’s Day brings with it the message of love and reinforces its universal spirit. With strong reminiscences from the past, today, Valentine’s Day is tagged as global day. Transcending physical boundaries, it has percolated through different regions, cultures and communities. The continuation through centuries reiterates the immense popularity of the Day, whose influence has been growing in leaps and bounds in the wake of commercialization. Hence, what began as a day to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Valentine and his sacrifices in the name of love has come to include within its corpus a gamut of celebrations, festivities and traditions.

Essentially symbolizing a day for lovers, the popularity and appeal of the day is cross-generational. Valentine’s Day might be a celebration between anyone and anywhere. For instance, it might be an expression between a grandfather and his grandson, between an idol and his devoted follower, or it maybe an occasion to reinforce the spirit of love between long-distance lovers or long-lost heartthrobs.

Although twentieth-century celebrations reveal a stark contrast with earlier days, the numerous symbols linked with day remain intact. The red rose, being a symbol of passion and love, is the traditional Valentine’s Day flower. The yellow rose symbolizes friendship. The symbol of Cupid, the son of the goddess of love, with a bow is another popular feature. As a sign of love, the heart is also linked to Valentine’s Day celebrations. Depicting the message of love and loyalty between mates, doves are an eternal part of Valentine’s Day celebrations.

Along with the expression of love, gifts are the major attractions for the day. It could be anything from a bouquet of flowers to an assortment of chocolates to heart-shaped candies. A diamond ring as a gift is symbolic of the sentiment associated with the day. Valentine’s Day is a unique day that is celebrated with pomp and grandeur. This might involve a quiet candlelight dinner between lovers, an extravagant party sprayed with champagne, a scrumptious dinner in restaurant and a display at the movie theatre, a flashy discotheque, and many more celebrations.

In the U.S., the day particularly gained prominence after the Civil War. There are narrations of the exchange of cards and greetings between the people and their worshipped heroes and generals. From the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of exchanging cards also came to include gift-giving rituals. Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated amongst lovers and loved ones with a spree of revels.

It is often said that Valentine’s Day, marked by ostentatious displays, has become a victim of commercialism. Despite of all such claims, the glorious prominence of the event in today’s materialistic world, stricken by tensions and pressures, bears testimony to its unaltered status. The message of love still remains the untarnished essence for the day.

Valentines Day provides detailed information on Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day Gifts, Valentine’s Day Gift Baskets, Valentine’s Day Cards and more. Valentines Day is affiliated with Mexican Holidays.

[tags]Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day Gifts, Valentine’s Day Gift Baskets, Valentine’s Day Cards[/tags]

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