Valentine’s Day is celebrated adoringly; it is named after Saint Valentine who was a catholic priest who lived in Rome in the third century.

During those days in Rome, many Romans were converting to Christianity, but the Emperor Claudius II was a Pagan (Pagans are followers of a polytheistic or pantheistic nature-worshipping religion). Claudius made some strict laws about what Christians were allowed to do. He firmly believed that Roman soldiers should be completely devoted to Rome and therefore passed a law averting them from marrying. St Valentine started helping the soldiers to marry secretly in Christian ceremonies because Valentine believed that love has positive effects in life and nothing comes above love. Saint Valentine’s reputation grew day by day as devotee of love.

In due course Claudius found out that Valentine was helping the soldiers to marry secretly and he was jailed for his ‘crime’ of getting the soldiers married. In the imprisonment, Valentine was sympathetic with his fellow prisoners and he felt very sympathetic for the jailor’s blind daughter. It seems, Valentine cured the girl’s blindness and before he got executed he wrote a love message for the girl signed as ‘from your Valentine’. Valentine was executed on 14 February in the year 270.

Since then 14^th February is celebrated as ‘Valentine’s Day’ in many countries around the world. This day is famous for sending love messages by lovers to each other. People send special cards expressing their affection, roses, cupids, chocolates, gifts, jewelry etc. Usually, people send beautiful handmade cards to their lovers. The sender shows how much he/she loves the recipient. Cards usually contain sentimental verse, proclaiming the beauty of the receiver and how much they are loved.

Valentine’s Day is most commonly associated with romantic love, with millions of Valentine’s Day cards being exchanged each year. Gifts of flowers or a single red rose are sent with romantic messages to loved ones and couples spend special time together. Valentine’s Day gift hampers are also a popular gift and typically include flowers, champagne and chocolates.

Valentine’s Day generates record-breaking flower sales and the exchange of over a billion boxes of chocolate. For brands, it provides a much-needed sales boost following a post-Christmas lull. Even during global economic slowdowns, companies cash in on Valentine Day’s with record sales of popular gift articles like flowers, jewelry, chocolates, toys, readymade garments, mobile phones, electronic gadgets, wrist watches, perfumes etc.

Some particulars about Valentine’s Day:

• Do you know that Valentine’s Day is a $14.7 billion industry in the U.S, and in India it is about Rs.15 billion?
• Americans spend around $277 million on Valentine cards every year, second only to Christmas!!
• It seems the condom company Durex reports that condom sales are 20-30% higher around Valentine’s Day Valentine’s Day (V-Day) in India.
• Valentine’s Day was first introduced to Japan in 1936 and has become widely popular. However, because of a translation error made by a chocolate company, only women buy Valentine chocolates for their spouses, boyfriends, or friends. In fact, it is the only day of the year many single women will reveal their crush to opposite sex by giving them chocolates. The men don’t return the favor until White Day, a type of “answer day” to Valentine’s Day, which they celebrate on March 14^th.
• On Valentine’s Day in 2010, 39,897 people in Mexico City broke the record for the world’s largest group kiss!
• Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in the late 1800s
• A kiss on Valentine’s Day is considered to bring good luck all throughout the year.
• On Valentine’s Day, many people buy flowers. Different colored roses have different meanings: Red means love, yellow means friendship, and pink means friendship or sweetheart. Red carnations mean admiration, white carnations mean pure love, red chrysanthemums mean love, forget-me-nots mean true love, primrose means young love, and larkspur means an open heart!
• Traditionally, young girls in the U.S. and the U.K. believed they could tell what type of man they would marry depending on the type of bird they saw first on Valentine’s Day. If they saw a blackbird, they would marry a clergyman, a robin redbreast indicated a sailor, and a goldfinch indicated a rich man. A sparrow meant they would marry a farmer, a blue bird indicated a happy man, and a crossbill meant an argumentative man. If they saw a dove, they would marry a good man, but seeing a woodpecker meant they would not marry at all.
• Roses and Cupids are favorites of lovers. Do you know, Cupid was one of the gods of mythology? In Latin, the word Cupid means “desire.” Cupid is typically represented as a chubby, naked, winged boy or youth with a mischievous smile. He possessed a bow with a quiver of arrows by which he transfixed the hearts of youths and maidens. Cherubs are descendants of Cupid. They are depicted as lovable little winged creatures without arrows and quivers. Cherubs were typically not mischievous like Cupid.
• Valentine’s Day cards are decorated with pictures of cupid, hearts and flowers and trimmed with lace and ribbon. These images are still used today to symbolize love and are recognized all over the world.
• Marriage proposals are popular on Valentine’s Day, and it is often chosen as the perfect day to express a person’s love and commitment. Some marriage proposals are sent very creatively, such as after climbing to the top of a mountain, or posting a message on a billboard, sending a proposal with a small girl or a boy. Whatever the method, marriage proposals made on Valentine’s Day are generally romantic and memorable.
• Friends, while Valentine’s Day is celebrated in most countries, different cultures have developed their own traditions for this festival. In some parts of the world Valentine’s Day is observed as a day for expressing love between family members and friends. It is not only celebrated by romantic couples. Some traditions include keeping chocolates and gifts in children’s bedroom do that they see them first in the morning. And, some people celebrate it for expressing appreciation between friends. Families go for outings, picnics and luncheons to celebrate unity and love for each other.Most of us think that love is about just talking kindly, warm and cute words to others. But in reality is expressing love is different and hard. So what the true love meant to be? It is caring of someone you love, being with him/her when he/her needs you the most. Love is not just telling “I love you”, it is about being together in thick and thin times, giving the emotional and physical support. Also, in good times having fun together.So dear friends enjoy the Valentine’s Day with your loved ones, your friends, your pets, your neighbors with humanity.