Valentine's Day is a festival that
cherishes love and romance. The
festival falls on February 14 every
year and is celebrated in several
countries across the world
including US, UK, Canada, Japan,
France, China and India. Though the
festival commemorates the
martyrdom of a Christian saint
called St Valentine, the festival as it
is celebrated today has little
religious significance. In present
times, Valentine's Day has assumed
a secular and global flavor and is
celebrated by people of all ages
and races.
Another noticeable factor in
Valentine's Day celebration of
present times is that the festival
celebrates love in all its forms and
is not just restricted to romantic
love. People therefore exchange
Valentine's Day greetings with their
parents, teachers, siblings, friends,
sweethearts or anyone special or
close to them. The commonest way
of expressing love on Valentine's
Day is through exchanging cards,
flowers and chocolates.
Valentine's Day History and
Legends
The romantic festival of Valentine's
Day is said to have originated in
pagan times in Rome when people
celebrated annual fertility festival
called Feast of Lupercalia in mid-
February. A unique custom of the
festival was the mating of young
boys and girls for a year through a
lottery system. Quite often the
couple would fall in love and
marry.
Strongly associated with the
festival of Valentine's Day are the
legends of three or more Saint
Valentine of Rome. One of the most
popular legends says, Valentine or
Valentinus lived in Rome when the
country was under the reign of
Emperor Claudius II. It is said that
Claudius engaged Rome in several
unpopular and bloody campaigns.
To maintain a strong army,
Claudius continuously needed to
recruit soldiers. But to his
disappointment Claudius found
that most men were unwilling to
join army because of their strong
attachment with their wives and
their families. To get rid of the
problem, Claudius banned all
marriages and engagements in
Rome. A romantic at heart priest,
Valentine, secretly arranged
marriages of young boys and girls
and defied this unjustified and
callous order of Claudius. When the
Emperor discovered this defiance,
he put Valentine behind bars and
he was finally executed on
February 14, about 270 AD. For his
great service, Valentine was named
a saint after his death.
By Middle Ages, Saint Valentine
became the patron saint of love
and lovers in England and France.
In 498 AD, when Pope Gelasius
decided to put an end to pagan
celebration of Feast of Lupercalia,
he declared that 14th February be
celebrated as St Valentine's Day.
Some scholars however, say,
romance was linked with
Valentine's Day because of the
popular belief in England and
France during the Middle Ages that
birds began to start looking for
their mate from 14th February.
Valentine's Day Traditions and
Customs
One of the most important
customs of Valentine's Day festival
is the exchange of love notes called
‘Valentines' by lovers. The tradition
is said to have initiated in 1415 by
Charles, Duke of Orleans who sent
the first known Valentine Day card
to his wife from prison. In present
times, Valentine's Day is the second
biggest Valentine's Day card-giving
holiday after Christmas. There is
also the tradition of gifting flowers,
chocolates besides other gifts of
love on Valentine's Day as an
expression of love.
Going on a date with one's
Valentine is another popular
tradition of Valentine's Day festival.
Candle light dinners or evening
together in a park are an all-time
favorite dating idea in present
times.
Valentine's Day Celebration
Valentine's Day is celebrated in a
big way in several countries across
the globe. Days before the festival
markets wear a festive look. Shops
selling gifts and cards are especially
decorated with Valentine's Day
symbols of roses, hearts, cupids
and lovebirds. Aggressive
marketing campaign by cards and
gift marketers create hype for the
festivals. On February 14, the spirit
of love pervades the very
atmosphere. One can find couples
thronging parks, restaurants, malls
and multiplexes holding hands and
expressing love for each other