Valentine’s Day

Love is in the air as young hearts wait eagerly with cards and candies to say it to their beloved on the day none other than the Valentine’s Day.

Celebrated on 14th February every year, Valentine’s Day is all about sharing your love with your near and dear one.

Although this festival of love is meant for every age group, with changing times youth started cherishing this day to express their feelings to some one close to their heart along with flowers, gifts and chocolates

“My love for you is a journey,

Starting at forever, And ending at never.”

Legends

Valentine’s Day holds a long tale of legends behind it, as it is as old as love itself. Valentine’s Day is named after the patron saint Valentine who is supposed to be the priest in Rome during the third century.

Emperor Claudius II decided to outlaw marriage so that young men can flair well in the battle field, as people who are married do not. St. Valentine raised his voice to oppose Claudius II and he helped many couples to get married in secrecy.

Claudius II came to know about his rebel and St. Valentine was thrown behind the bars and as he was assassinated on 14th February, this date became auspicious for lovers and took the form of a festival.

The other legend talks about St. Valentine’s love for the jailors daughter whom he met when he was imprisoned.

She was blind and he cured her and she used to meet him secretly.

Before St. Valentine was assassinated, he wrote a letter to her signed, as ‘From Your Valentine’ and these last words are today the most beautiful expression on Valentine’s Day gifts.

The cupid also shares its part in the Valentine’s Day tantrum as being the legendry son of goddess of love, this naughty little kid is held responsible for hurting the young hearts with his love stuck arrows and the person falls in love.

Celebrations

On 14th February, every year this festival is celebrated in every part of the world and love knows no boundaries. Flowers, cards, laces, heart shaped chocolates and candies, teddies, love birds are all a part of the celebration and everyone exchanges them to express their love with these mementos.

Red being the colour of love is the dress code of most of the Valentine’s Day parties held in every region of the planet.

Valentine’s Day in the ancient times was celebrated by large gatherings and ladies used to drop their laced handkerchiefs to attract the beloved.

The person who used to pick up the handkerchief used to be her Valentine. Candies in heart shaped boxes were the most popular gifts in the past.

With time changing on its pace, gifts have also took a different face and today expensive perfumes, watches, spas and bouquets of red roses have taken the highest positions.

Chocolates and cute teddies are the fillers and cards are obviously a must.

Valentine’s Day celebrations in India has caught up very speedily in the last decade or so. In India this festival is celebrated by the masses and especially by the youngsters.

Cards and bouquets are sold in large numbers and people rock n roll on the beats of musical parties organised for the grand day.

Lovers convey their emotion for each other while friends also exchange gifts to show their bond. A week before each and every day is dedicated to some or the other ceremony.

Like first day of the week before Valentine’s Day is Rose day and the following it is Chocolate day and then comes the Hug day and so on., people celebrate the month of February.

Significance of Roses

Just a thought of Valentine’s Day draws an image of the most romantic and loving flowers of all, Red Roses. Red Rose is the perfect symbol of love and is considered the most ideal gifts for valentine. The freshness and smell of the flower expresses the genuine feeling of love and warmth.

The relation of rose flower with love is traced back to the period of Charles II of Sweden in the 1700s. Charles II introduced new language in Europe, the Persian language of flowers and many books were also published that time to promote the same.

These books contained all content regarding the meaning of each flower and its color in the flower language, this communicated red rose as a symbol of love, passion and beauty.

Then after, trend of presenting rose to beloved on Valentine’s Day started and created strong association of rose with love and Valentine's Day.

rose is also considered as a favorite flower of the Roman mythological Goddess of Love and Beauty, Venus and so the rose is believed to have strong bond with love and romance.

Different colors roses depict different meanings so this valentine day, know your color before presenting rose to anyone!!!!

Significance of Different Colors of Roses

Rose of different colors symbolizes different emotions and feelings. One therefore needs to be careful while presenting a rose to loved one:

* Red Roses :        Love and passion

* White Roses :     True love, purity of the mind and reverence

* Yellow Roses:     Friendship, celebration and joy

* Pink Roses:        Friendship or Sweetheart, admiration

* Peach Roses :     Desire and excitement or appreciation

* Lilac Roses :       Love at first sight and enchantment

* Coral Roses :      Desire

* Orange Roses :   Enthusiasm and desire

* Black Roses :      Farewell or "It's Over"

* Bouquet of Red : Happiness and celebrations and Yellow Roses

* Bouquet of Red : Bonding and harmony and White Roses

* Bouquet of Yellow:  Passion and Orange Roses

Superstitions

There are many beliefs associated with the Valentine Day. Different regions follow different myths related to this love expressing day.

These superstitions are mainly linked to singles; they believe that certain activities or things will bring them luck for that particular year and shower them with good luck to meet their perfect match for life time.

* If you see a squirrel on Valentine's Day, you will marry a cheapskate who will hoard all your money.

* If you find a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved will have the other missing glove.

* On Valentine's Day, the first guy's name you read in the paper or hear on the TV or radio will be the name of the man you will marry.

* If you see a robin on Valentine's Day, you will marry a crime fighter - maybe they mean Batman!

* If an apple is cut in half, the number of seeds found inside the fruit will indicate the number of children that individual will have.

* If you see a flock of doves on Valentine's Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.

* If an individual thinks of five or six names considered to be suitable marriage partners and twists the stem of an apple while the names are being recited, then it is believed the eventual spouse will be the one whose name was recited at the moment the stem broke.

* To be awoken by a kiss on Valentine's Day is considered lucky.

* If you see a goldfinch on Valentine's Day, you will marry a millionaire.

* It is said that the kind of bird a girl watches on Valentine's Day predicts her future husband.

Sparrow: a poor man

Owl: remain spinster

Bluebird: a happy man

Blackbird: a priest or clergyman

Crossbill: an argumentative man

Facts

There are many facts associated with Valentine Day and people celebrating this must know these facts and share among all others.

Presenting few of the interesting facts associated with Valentine Day and its celebration across the world.

* Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine's Day each year.

* About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged in US each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.

* Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are the biggest holidays for giving flowers

* Valentine's Day cards are given to near and dear ones across the world, cards are generally presented to Teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

* Parents receive 1 out of every 5 valentines.

* About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.

* 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.

* The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.

* In the middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

* The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C.

Love Quotes

Someone once said, “Come live in my heart, and pay no rent.” And love was all around. Even in today’s materialistic world a simple gift to a person can make him feel special. Expensive gifts and parties are although in, a self written love song for your beloved and a card designed by your own hands, will make your beloved feel happier than ever. Listed below are few loving quotes that can be helpful for any lover.

* Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be.

Robert Browning

* Love doesn't make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

Elizabeth Browning

* Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the gods.

Plato

* Love is the enchanted dawn of every heart.

Lamartine

* The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart.

Josiah G. Holland

* When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out.

Elizabeth Bowen

* To love one is the beginning of a lifelong romance.

Oscar Wilde