Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day, also called St. Valentine’s Day, is celebrated on February 14 every year across the globe. Lovers express their affection by exchanging candy, flowers, greeting cards and gifts, all in the name of St. Valentine. Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday in any country, although it is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion. and the Lutheran Church. But who is this St. Valentine and where did these traditions come from? There are many theories.

Many people send letters, cards, presents and gifts to the person with whom they have or want to have a romantic relationship. Valentine’s Day cards are often red or pink and decorated with images of hearts, teddy bears, red roses, gifts or happy couples kissing or embracing. They may be in brightly coloured, perhaps pink or red, envelopes.
Many people give gifts to loved ones on Valentine’s Day. Common gifts are Flowers, particularly red roses, chocolates and/or candy, Teddy bears, Heart shaped toys and chocolates, Alcoholic/non-alcoholic drinks, Clothing, including lingerie, Cosmetics, Jewelry, etc.

Valentine’s Day is also an occasion for a more general celebration of love and appreciation of people who are personally important to an individual. Some schools allow the children to t decorate their classrooms with hearts and spring birds and make cards or presents for their parents.

Some believe that Valentine’s Day originated from the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I banned the celebration of Lupercalia, and some believe it attributed to replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day.

Another story is Valentine’s Day a Christian feast day honouring an early Christian martyr named Saint Valentine. In the 3rd century, Saint Valentine of Rome was impersonated for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire, and Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer and signed a letter “from your Valentine” to the jailer’s daughter.

The 8^th century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14^th. Formal messages, otherwise called “valentines” appeared in the 15^th century, and by the late 1700s, commercially printed cards were being used. In the mid-1800s the first commercial valentines cards were printed and circulated in the United. Valentines commonly depict the Roman god of love Cupid, along with hearts. Traditional gifts include candy and flowers, particularly red roses, a symbol of beauty and love.

Over the years, Valentine’s Day has been a Lovers’ celebration. In this internet age, every year millions of people use digital means of creating and sending Valentine’s Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. In the modern era, Valentine’s Day is heavily commercialized, and it is a multi-billion dollar business season for retailers.