A short history of Valentine's Day
Some hate it, and for some it is just another day on the calendar. But a good number love Feb. 14 as well, and that is what the day is all about.
Valentine's Day is named in honour of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers who, it is believed, was murdered on Feb. 14 AD 270. During that time, the Roman emperor Claudius II cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome, as he was having a hard time getting men to join the military, and he believed married men, being emotionally attached to their wives and families, did not make good soldiers.
However, Valentine secretly married couples until he was caught, then, refusing to renounce his Christian beliefs, was sentenced to be beaten to death with clubs and have his head cut off.
One legend suggests he left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter before his death which said "Love from your Valentine," the first Valentine's card.
It was the pope who set aside Feb. 14 to honour St. Valentine in AD 496. However, the day was not often celebrated until the Middle Ages. Gift giving and exchanging of hand-made cards became common in England around the 18th century, while in the 1840s the holiday caught on in the United States.
Today, approximately one-fourth of all the cards sent in a year are sent on Valentine's Day. But while the day is about love, cards, chocolates and flowers in Canada, the day is celebrated differently around the world.
For example, in Spain books are often given on Feb. 14, while in Finland the day marks the honouring of friends, not lovers. In South Korea and Japan, women are to give chocolate to men on Valentine's Day, while men are to give sweets to women on White Day one month later.
Colors of Love
Love!
Love can be red, like the intense heat of a passionate kiss
...the color of sweetness
...the color of strawberries
Love can be blue, like the comfort we take in a pair of denim jeans
...the color of strength
...the color of perfect skies
Love can be yellow, bright and warm like the morning sun
...like the sounds of laughters of children on the merry-go-round
...like the sounds of fun from the boys flying kites in the open
fields
Love can be green, peaceful and serene I can hear your heart beats
...it is the feeling of a loving hand that touch a grieving heart
...it is the whispering of trusting words to a distressing soul
Love can be orange, the loudness of it can drive you up a wall
...it can drive you to sing like nobody is listening
...it can drive you to dance like nobody is watching
Love can be purple, the courage we need to love bravely and unselfishly
...the moment I first kiss you i know that i am not afraid to risk involvement ...the day the declaration of your love for me was made known to the world
Contributed by Arun Kumar
-aHnAf-
Indian Mythology
