Share Your Valentine's Thrill!

[MyWorld]

Every 14th day of February marks the celebration of St' Valentine Day across the world.

Every 14th day of February, across the Globe, gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.

Points of reflection for us!

1. Who is St. Valentine?
2. Why do we celebrate on February 14?

While celebrating this special day, let us share our views on it.

Happy Valentine to all members of InfoStrides and loved ones!!!

[MyWorld]

[naos]

Happy Valentine to All and my loved ones...

[NewsCaster]

I found this about Valentine!

What is Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day is a romantic day observed on February 14th. People send greeting cards called valentines to their loved ones. Many valentines have romantic verses, and others have humorous pictures and sayings. The most common saying is, "Be my Valentine."

Valentine decorations and cards can go on store shelves as early as the day after Christmas. Schools decorate their classrooms with paper hearts and streamers just for this occasion.  The most common gifts to give on Valentine's Day are candy and flowers.

Read more: Happy Valentine Day!

[sparrow]

In ancient times, many cultures celebrated a fertility festival in mid-February. In Rome, the festival came to be known as Lupercalia, and it included festive parades through the streets with an assortment of pagan symbols. During Lupercalia, men and women would draw tokens with random names on each of them to pair off for games and exchanges of gifts.

The Christian church frowned on the pagan and erotic nature of Lupercalia, and tried to institute a more staid festival to celebrate St. Valentine, although since all three Valentines were martyred on 14 February, it's unclear which one was meant to be celebrated. The practice of instituting a Saint's Day on a popular pagan holiday was quite common, so that converts could celebrate their new faith on traditional festival days. The question of which St. Valentine is meant to be celebrated cannot be resolved. One of the men cured the sick, another was imprisoned and tortured for his Christian beliefs, and the history of the third Saint Valentine is not known. Some scholars suspect that the first two are actually the same man, and in later years the myth that St. Valentine secretly married couples who were ineligible for matrimony was added.

Citizens were not terribly enthused about celebrating yet another Saint's Day, and Valentine's Day began to evolve into a celebration of love and marriage. The tradition of exchanging cards and tokens was continued, and during the height of courtly love, people began to select their own Valentine's mates. Couples exchanged Valentine's cards and gifts with each other, and Valentine's Day began to appear frequently in love poetry. The first written link of Valentine's Day and love was provided by Chaucer, who wrote a love poem to commemorate the engagement of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia which linked the pairing off of birds with the royal engagement and Valentine's Day.

The elaborate exchanges of poetry, cards, and gifts on Valentine's Day cemented it as a holiday for the celebration of love in European popular culture. Valentine's Day has since spread all over the world, and many nations celebrate love on the 14th of February with flowers, gifts, and cards. It is one of the largest selling days for greeting card companies, as most lovers no longer make their own cards. In nations such as India where relationships between unmarried men and women are not encouraged, lovers often celebrate Valentine's Day secretly with stealthy meetings and gift exchanges.

Called from: What is the Origin of Valentine's Day?

[MyInfoStride]

I recalled this post to reflect on the upcoming Valentine Day celebration for 2012. This thread is evergreen. If you wish to know more about Valentine. Read the thread from the beginning and post your remarks.

Happy Valentine to you all!

[emezico]

Happy Val to everyone on this forum!

[emezico]