Valentine's Day

Valentines Day formerly known as Saint Valentine's Day is a celebration of love held on February 14 of each year. The day itself is named after one or more (who knows) Christian martyrs who all bore the name Valentine. It was established in approximately 500 AD and removed from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by the then ruling Pope.

Valentines Day is the day in which persons in love express their love for each other by surprising each other with gifts of flowers, chocolate, greeting cards and other tidbits. Today it has become the period in which, apart from the being for the lovers other persons also choose to show appreciation to their friends, parents, neighbors etc. The full history is not known of this day of love but it is documented that is a mix of Christian and Roman traditions. There are at least 3 martyrs named Valentine with whom this day is associated. One tale depicts Valentine as the priest who defied the emperors ruling and continued to perform marriage ceremonies in secret in a time when marriages were outlawed until he was caught and put to death. Another has him as the selfless aid to many Christians who were trying to escape the horrible Roman prisons.

Even the date of this day of love is wrapped in mystery. Some believe that it was the anniversary of Valentines death while others believed that was the high point of the Roman fertility festival. It is even thought that the Christians celebrate chose to uphold this celebration as a way to get the pagan connotations out of it.

Whatever the reasons Valentines Day has become a big celebration. It has become the day where outfits depicting cupids and hearts abound and the color red can be seen everywhere. It has escalated into one big commercial undertaking. Greeting card companies, chocolate manufacturers and makers of novelties and gifts make the big bucks at this time of year. They saw the increasing demand for the products and jumped in and filled the gap. Even restaurants have been able to capitalize on this day many of the surprises are romantic dinners for two.

This time stamped day of love still has its original meaning of love. It is the ultimate day of celebrating selflessness toward the person that you love. It is the day on which many persons honor its significance by getting married.