Celebrating Valentine sometimes can only be determined to couples needs. It’s completely not true. Because each and every body no matter how old they are, has the same right to celebrate love. People live their lives according to their own choices. Whether they want to spend it with a husband or a wife, children, parents, neighbors, pets or even just by themselves. But human must have love. In so many ways they can relate to.

If you are a single, as in not attach to any relationship right how, do not feel that you are not worthy of love or just to celebrate it. This is a perfect time for you to give more love and appreciation to yourself. Now that you have your whole time to be with yourself, you can do so many things that sometimes a couple-people might envy. You don’t need to adjust your schedule with no one, you don’t need to report all your activity to a specific person, or you don’t need to feel guilty to pamper yourself all day long. It is simply because you can!
If you want to celebrate this freedom with your close friends, just do so. Go out and have fun. There’s so many thing you can do. Here are some plans that you can do with your single friends or just with yourself.

1. Singled-out Party
   List the names of your single friends (men and women). You can host this party yourself or you can ask a party-planer’s assistance. Set a nice buffet, prepare wines and good music to go along. This party is to celebrate love and also can be a match-making event. Who knows maybe you end up hooking with someone’s cute! To make this party event bigger (since there might be a lot of people who are single and don’t know what to do to celebrate Valentine), you can charge the people to attend this party and make it even more extravagant in a hotel function room or a restaurant. Explore your ideas as you have all the time and space you need.
2. Girl’s/Boy’s Night Out
   Call your single friends and make an appointment to go party in the hottest club in town, or a restaurant or the next door beach, or anywhere you can go having fun. Basically, do something fun together, whenever, wherever!
3. Solitaire
   If you decide to celebrate this moment alone, you still can do things that make you happy and feel about yourself. Like prepare a nice bubble-bath with your favorite CD and aromatherapy. Or cook yourself or order a delivery food of your favorite dishes, and pamper yourself with a stack of your favorite movies or books. Anything you want to do at home that relaxes you and being grateful of all time you have.
4. Family Bonding
   We are comes from a family that certainly loves us for who we are. Call them or visit them and have a warm-loving evening. Or ask them to have dinner in a nice restaurant talking about life and be happy with this togetherness. Share your love with your mother, father, brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews, whoever in your family tree. They are your family. And family are bond with blood and love.
5. Spread the Love
   To be grateful for the life that you own and to think about all the things that might makes you feel unfortunate, why don’t you visit some people or places that are less fortunate than you are. There are homeless people or orphans out there that surely will feel happier if you would share them your love. Ask your friends if you want, either way, just try to see life in different perception.

Love is natural. You have it inside you along ever since you were born. Feel it. Be grateful for everything that you have. Use this free time to learn your lessons and prepare yourself to experience love in the future. Think positive and believe that you are lovable. And love will come knocking on your door very soon!

Men and women has each own determination on romantic ideas. Women with all of their better ability to show their feelings much more easier then men, are sometimes having no troubles in fascinate them with romantic ideas. While men, in the other side, with their simplicity, are sometimes needs a little bit of more creativity to show them how much they means for the spouse. But these facts could give us benefits if only we know where to look.

Women for example, loves to see a bright shinning of jewels, a beautiful sets of red roses, a delicious chocolate in a cute box, a gorgeous pair of Manolo’s stiletto, her favorite perfume, or simply a hand-written of love poem in a card can really brighten up their smiles in this perfect occasion of love.

On the other hand, men as they are more practical, would enjoy a romantic candle-light dinner in a fancy restaurant, a nice body-relaxing massage and spa for two, or simply just being together in an intimate ambient with their loved one.

Each person has their own perception of romance. You might still confuse about finding the perfect gifts for them. But, here’s a tip: just think about what your spouse likes. You’re the one who know them better than anyone else. Concentrate on what their preference and interests. You will find a place to start by just thinking about how much you love them.

If you wish to give them a unique gifts on this Valentine’s Day, then be prepared. I believe by now, you already have an idea. Now it’s time for you to realize your ideas to an action of love. Start to search what you want to give as they are already at your reach now.

Here are some of ideas that are well-known to be the top-notch for a successful romantic Valentine celebration:

1. A Romantic Dinner for Two at Home
   Steps : decorate your house or dining room with candle and/or flower. It would be better if you cook the dinner, but take-outs are also preferable so you would concentrate on other matter. Set the mood with romantic love songs. Prepare your self for every possibility of mood change.
   Does : prepare your best appearance, best grooming, prepare wine, set a space for a dance floor, finger food are sexier.
   Don’ts : wear too much perfume, order hot-spicy food if you have a sensitive stomach, talk about work, kids, parents, etc.
2. A Nice and Relaxing Spa for Two
   Steps : book a spa reservationweeks before to make sure you can get it on the exact day (remember lots of other couple might want to do the same idea). Give the voucher to him/her with a nice card in a delicate surprising ways like tuck it in his jacket or in her purse would do.
   Does : have a meal before spa. Prepare your best under-wears. Have a bikini wax for ladies and loose some extra hair for guys. Check for hidden cameras.
   Don’ts : eat too much, other wise your abs won’t shape the best. Drink too much.
3. A One-Night Stay in a Luxury Hotel
   This is one way to pamper both you and your partner in a full service evening.
   Steps : make sure you have made your reservation weeks before, you can ask for a specific views if they are available. And do prepare your best lingerie for you, ladies! You can present more gifts if you would. Because this night is yours and his/hers. Don’t forget to put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door and block your incoming calls.
4. A Romantic Getaway
   Steps : you probably need to discuss this with your partner because this could require a travel papers preparation. You can also choose a near city. But of course places like Paris, Caribbean, Greece, Bali, Tahiti, or Carmel might explode your fantasies.
   Does : book your flight ticket long before you go. Ask or browse for weather forecast. Spare some space in you luggage for things you might buy. Get all the information you need of the destination place.
   Don’ts : bring your laptop hoping you could do some work there is not a very good idea.
   another article: Romantic Valentine Getaway Ideas
5. A Surprise
   Do something that is out of your habit or schedule. For example, leave work early if it is possible and surprise him/her with things you two never done before like eat the delicious bagel on the corner shop that they’ve been bragging about. If you’re not a kitchen person, maybe this is the perfect time for you to unleash your other ability in there. You could make a simple menus for a start. Or better yet, ask him/her to join you and have fun in the kitchen. You might end up lying exhausting on the kitchen floor feeling satisfied and happy…
6. A Love Journey
   Take him/her to the places that has a special meaning to both of you. The place where you first met him/her, where you proposed her, the restaurant where you had your first kiss (more preferably if you can get your exact table as before), a book store where you had your first real fight also would recall a memory of how you have been stronger ever since…

If you are going to create your own unique Valentine Gift Baskets, you can find many resources on the internet. Below is one the the ideas I found on Youtube.com

If you want to buy the gift baskets, here are some of interesting and cute looking baskets I found on Internet.

Let Your Body Do The Talking & trade; - Valentines Day Gift Basket

Valentine Bad to the Bone Singing Chopper Dog Gift Set Valentines Day Gift Basket

Sweet Wishes For You! Gourmet Food Gift Basket

Be My Valentine Chocolate Gift Basket

Be Mine Spa and Chocolate Valentine's Gift Basket

Stringers For My Valentine Gift Basket

Bear Hugs: Gourmet Gift Basket

Spa Retreat: Spa Gift Basket including Camille Beckman Glycerine Rosewater Fragrance - a blending of various tea roses

• “We have been together for a long time and you still don’t know what I want?”
• “I don’t like this!”
• “Thank you honey” but your spouse never use it.
• Your spouse pretend to like your gift although you can see the lack of fondness on her face.

What does your partner want on Valentine’s Day?

To answer this question, we have to do a small survey. I have finished my own survey by giving some forms at some of my friend’s gift stores also by asking some friends about their opinions of the gifts they received. Please note that this is only a small survey, I had less than 100 people on this survey and the results will be more accurate  with more participants.

The results, approximately 30% of my women’s participants don’t like the gifts they get, the remaining 50% like their gifts and the other 20% did not get any gifts. Most of them said that what they really want is more time to spend with their partner rather than an expensive gifts. Some of them also added that their partner’s effort to find the gifts is more valuable, not the price.

As for men, not much comments on their gifts. They seem to like it or just don’t want to talk about it.

According to another survey I found on the internet, Women like a gift which can be shown to their friends or can be seen by others and the gifts must represent their feelings of love each other. If you are a man, have your lady ever asked you to hold her hand when you walk on public places? If yes, then buy her a necklace graved with your partner’s name, your name and love symbol on the center or buy her a photo-frame with your memorable photo with her and send it to her office with flowers so she can put the frame on her working desk and everybody in the office, specially her friends can see the photo. Additionally, you can print a love poem on the photos just to show your love.

As for men, they tend to like the gifts in accordance with their hobbies (computer stuffs, electronics, gadgets, games and sports). According to the proverb, “women want to be loved and men want to be understood”. Men prefer a gifts they can use and even help their works.

Now after you read those surveys, what is the most wanted gifts for your partner? The best answer is your own answers. Look and watch your partner carefully then decide what is the best gifts for your partner.
(Read my suggestion below)

Some of my suggestions are:

Gifts for her:

1. Necklace, Bracelet or Ring engraved with you and her names.
2. Photo frame or photo album with your photo together
3. Romantic vacation out of town and tucked her ticket in a bouquet of flowers sent to her office
4. Glass, Clothes, or pillows, printed with photos of you and her. Also you can add love poems.
5. And the best gift for women is to spend your time more for her on Valentine’s Day and don’t forget to start searcing for a gift from now, your efforts will be judged by her.

Gifts for him:

1. Office equipments or anything that could help him in his works.
2. Sports equipment for men who love sports.
3. Electronic, computer accessories, softwares, gadgets, as well as gift vouchers for electronic goods or itunes.
4. Spa voucher, you can even choose the spa where you can both lounging together.

Finally, Use your time to find the best gift for your partner and have a great Valentine’s Day.

Partners:

At this February, the Weather at Caribbean islands will be around 80 Fahrenheit, warm enough to spend most of your time wearing shorts, walking without sandals and not too sweaty. No wonder many suggest to visit Caribbean on February. All you need to prepare is your swimming suit and shorts. Prepare also your camera to get some beautiful photos there, and try posing a “kiss pose” with sunset behind you and coconut tree right beside you, that would be a perfect photos to send as a postcards.

Many events will be held at Caribbean on this Valentine’s day, make sure that you check your local guide from travel agencies or from your cottage/hotel receptionist. Valentine’s day also celebrated at Caribbean, such as St. Croix’s annual Valentine’s Day Jump Up (a street party, parade, shopping and concert) or The Bermuda International Love Festival, and make sure you visit the annual Sweethearts of the Caribbean wooden yacht race (The West End Yacht Club on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands).

Here are some of the best destination at Caribbean Islands:

• St. Lucia
  Beautiful and romantic place with a lot of activities. You might want to try these activities at St. Lucia: drive-in volcano, Sulphur Springs (at Soufriere), visit the Botanical Gardens, the rain forests and Pigeon Island National Park, which is home to Fort Rodney, an old British military base. Most popular place for tourists are Soufriere, Marigot Bay and Gros Islet. Romantic cottages you might want to reserve are Anse Chastanet and The Jalousie Plantation Hotel Saint Lucia.

  
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• Jamaica
  One of the largest country in Caribbean Islands, Attracts more than 1.3 million tourists every year. That’s why if you don’t want to worry of transportation, hotels, foods, etc you should come to Jamaica. Many major city at Jamaica located near the coast area. If you come to Jamaica, you should go to The Kingston Harbour (one of the largest natural harbours in the world), Dunn’s River Falls in St. Ann, YS Falls in St. Elizabeth, the Blue Lagoon in Portland and Port Royal. Some romantic hotels are Grand Lido Braco Resort & Spa located at the north coast of Jamaica, Half Moon Montego Bay, Sandals (Montego Bay, Negril, Ochos Rios), Jamaica inn (Ochos Rios) and Royal Plantation Spa and Golf Resort .

  
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• Barbados Island
  Another white-sand beaches, a nice place to relax, dive, sun bathing. Check out the Harrison’s Cave and shop at duty-free shops. And if you like, you can get night entertainment at local bars and clubs. Barbados Island is one of the top honeymoon destination. Recommended hotel for you are Crane Beach, The Fairmont Royal Pavilion, and The Fairmont Glitter Bay.

  
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• St. Kitts and Nevis
  Beautiful place with great landscape. St. Kitts and Nevis are newly developed places, so if you are looking for quiet and peace-full place for your romantic hide-way then this is the perfect place. There are not much activities you can do on St. Kitt’s Island beside sitting and relaxing on the beach and sun-bathing. At Nevis, you can do golf, tennis, horseback riding, sailing, water-skiing, windsurfing and scuba diving. Just for your information, there is no Nightlive in both islands and also no shopping. Best Resorts your might want to book in Nevis are Nisbet Plantation and Four Seasons Resort

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• Aruba
  Beachlover.. You gonna like Aruba, a beach with white sands, nice water and perfect weather. You might wanna try to do scuba dive just two of you or even horse ride. And the nice thing about Aruba, you can enjoy the casino and vegas-style shows at night. Recommended Hotels for you are Tamarijn Aruba Beach Resort, Manchebo Beach Resort & Spa, and Divi Aruba Beach Resort.

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• Antigua, Barbuda and Redonda
  Located at the Eastern Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. Beautiful beaches with white sand. Used to be a quiet place for holidays, but now they have many cruise-ship passengers visiting. Just check the local hotel first, you might be lucky to have a quiet romantic holiday there. Recommended hotels: Sandals All-Inclusive Resort Vacations & Weddingmoons, St. James’s Club (Private) and Galley Bay (Adult only)

  
  
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• British Virgin Island
  Gorgeous Beaches and spectacular scenery. You must do snorkeling here and trust me, you won’t sink. One of the most secluded island in BVI is Tortola. You will have a quiet secluded beaches, beautiful scenery and also nightlife. Another quiet islands in BVI are Guana and Pine Cay. Hotels recommendation in BVI are Meridian Club on Pine Cay, Elysian Beach Resort, The Buccaneer, Biras Creek Resort and Little Dix Bay Hotel.

  
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• Bahamas
  If you like diving, Coral reefs, Blue holes, Walls and Caves are the best here, also around 700 island of Bahamas have more than 500 miles of clear water and white beaches. Don’t forget to see the beautiful sunset. Another activities you might like to do there are fishing, shopping, non-stop nightlife, snorkeling, scuba diving, swim with dolphin, etc. Recommended hotels/resorts in Bahamas: Sandals All-Inclusive Resort Vacations & Weddingmoons, Atlantis Resort, Tiamo Resorts, Rock House Hotel and Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort & Spa (private island for couples).

  
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Out of your everyday activities on this Valentine’s Day is probably the best gift for your partner. Leave all your work, buy a plane ticket and book a place far from your city. If you want, do not bring your child, this is your time.

coincidently valentine’s day will be on friday this year, where you have Saturday and Sunday for traveling with your spouse, if you’re not working on valentine’s day then you have 3 days to go.

Many romantic destinations you can visit. If you live in a country which happen to have very cold weather, may be more appropriate if you go to a tropical country, warm weather, lying on the beach, basking under the sun .. well .. suddenly i feel like going to the beach ..

If you are in a country that has warm weather or hot, maybe you could consider to go to a snowy country, try ice skating, throwing lumps of ice ..

Find a tourist destination that has a romantic atmosphere, probably exotic. Read my tips on how to prepare for your romantic vacation.

Use this valentine’s moment to improve your love and relationship to partner, forget all your problems, spend time with your spouse. Just tell your sweetheart “I’m all yours ..”.

Here are some of my suggestions for this Valentine holiday destination.

Romantic Valentine Getaway to Paris

Romantic Valentine Getaway to Caribbean

Paris, the city of love, one of the most romantic city in the world, a beautiful city to visit many times and a Romantic Holiday destination for couple. Paris will be a perfect place to visit on this valentine, the weather will be cold but the atmosphere will be warm.

In february, the temperature will be chilly, an average of 2 degrees Celsius or 37.4 degrees Fahrenheit but it does not make paris become unattractive, even on the contrary, in this february paris will have many events and attractions you can see, such as Valentine’s Day celebration and also the Chinese new year which also in the 14th of this february.

Paris is not a cheap destination, but at least if you want to visit paris in february, you’ll get a fairly cheap plane tickets because you are in the low season.

Also this february is the right time to shop winter sale items and a walk in the shopping districts. And do not forget, the city of Paris has many romantic cafes that you can visit and spend your time there.

Walking the streets of Paris are easy because many transportation are availabe. Just make sure you prepare your winter boots, jackets, gloves and ear protectors because there will be a lot of rain in paris and believe it or not you still will choose to walk.

One other thing you need to consider is to place your money safe, not in the wallet, maybe in belt.

Here are some events in Paris on February between the date of 14-16:

• Valentine’s Day Messaging (14 Feb 2010 – Paris)
• Valentine’s Day at Queen (14 Feb 2010 – Queen, Paris, France)
• Chinese New Year in Paris (14 Feb 2010 – Place d’Italie, Paris, France)
• Paris Carnaval (14 Feb 2010 – Rue Le Vau)
• Bercy Antiques Fair (4 – 14 Feb 2010 – Halle Freyssinet)
• A Little Night Music (15 – 20 Feb 2010 – Theatre du Chatelet)
• Holiday on Ice – Tropicana (11-21 Feb 2010, Zenith)
• Battista Franco at the Louvre (26 nov 2009 – 22 feb 2010 – Louvre)
• Ice-Skating at the Hotel de Ville (1 dec 2009-28 feb 2010- Place de l’Hotel de Ville)
• Ice-Skating at Montparnasse (1 dec 2009-28 feb 2010 – Patinoire Montparnasse)

Or if you happens to bring your child, there are some events at Disneyland Paris.

• Disneyland Paris events (4 apr 2009-7 mar 2010)

Now Here are some of the most beautiful places in Paris that you would like to visit when you’re there.

• Champs Elysees & Arc de Triomphe
  One of the places in Paris that you must visit, be sure to get to the top of the arc. This is one of the romantic place in paris. After visiting the Arc de Triomphe, you can walk along the Champs Elysees, many boutiques and cafes there too.
• Eiffel Tower
  The landmark of paris, the place you must visit. When you arrive at the Eiffel Tower, don’t forget to visit the Champ de Mars, a place ideal for romantic lunch. The right time to get to the tower is around 1 hour before sunset or when the sunset. Get to the top and stay there as long as possible until the lights on and you will never forget this experience. You can have a dinner at Eiffel Tower, that would be romantic.
• Louvre Museum
  
  If you ever watched the movie “The DaVinci Code” then you should’ve seen the Louvre Museum. Don’t forget to visit even just to see the Mona Lisa, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Venus de Milo. Don’t forget to climb the stairs up to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica.
• Versailles
  Beautiful place to visit, the former residence king of France and the government of more than 100 years. See the garden scene, I’m sure you’ll be amazed.
• Latin Quater
  Not far from the Notre Dame and one of the most popular places for newly married couples, many cafes and cheap food.
• Montmartre
  Butte Montmartre, or a hill where you will find lots of art studios, some artist communities are also found there like Salvador Dali, Modgliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh. You can walk to see the art paintings or sitting in the cafe.
• Trocadero esplanade
  Get a photo taken there, make a romantic pose and send the picture as postcards to your friends or family. One of the romantic place to kiss in Paris.

Now Here are the lists of some Romantic Hotels you can book.

• Plaza Athenee Hotel
• Splendid Etoille Hotel
• Grand Hotel Leveque
• Hotel Langlois
• Warwick Champs-Elysées
• Hotel Kleber
• Hotel du Jeu de Paume
• Hotel de Banville
• Hotel Britannique
• Hotel Claridge Bellman
• Hotel Saint-James & Albany
• Hotel Lutetia
• Duquesne Eiffel Hotel
• Hotel Vernet

Check out some of the Hotel’s Availability and Price
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Instead of a hotel, you can have your own living quarters in the town centre. This way, you will taste the true city life of metropolitans like Paris, Barcelona or Rome, or of smaller cities such as Edinburgh and Bruges. Whichever city trip you chose, you will be surprised by the city’s unique character, and its 1001 options for culture, culinary delights or trips. Click here.

Here are some of the usual tradition on Valentine’s Day:

1. Gifts exchange
   This tradition is nearly done around the world, exchanging gifts with the person they love. Some popular exchanged gifts are flowers, chocolates and teddy bears. Gift exchange was also carried out in families, between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, even between teachers and students. Valentine has been regarded as a day to express love.
2. Candle Light Dinner
   Take a look at your place on Valentine’s Day, many restaurants is all going to decorate their places where they had a romantic atmosphere, some couples will be seen together with white-clothed tables, flowers and candles. This opportunity is also done by those who intend to propose their spouse. Not only in the restaurant, some couples even make a candle light dinner of their own home.
3. Single’s Party
   Not only done by couples, in many places, singles also celebrated Valentine with party, usually done with other singles and many of them are even met their partner on this occasion.
4. School Valentine’s Day Celebrations
   In some countries, children at school also celebrate Valentine’s, they will exchange chocolate and their own cards with their friends.

Many other traditions are carried out on Valentine’s Day and conducted in accordance with their culture of each country. If you are going to have a vacation this Valentine, then you will see a lot of different atmosphere and different traditions with what you’ve seen before.

Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines. There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the day.

The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago.

It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine’s Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. The history of Valentine’s Day is impossible to be obtained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine’s Day.

The modern St. Valentine’s Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine’s Day honors.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.

It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time.

The story of St. Valentine has two different versions – the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers.

The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned to counter the monarch’s orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this “friend of lovers,” and had him arrested.

While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius’ blind daughter.

When Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccesful in his efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.

Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius’ daughter. It caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend’s imminent death. It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that lived ever after. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centred on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.

Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine’s Day.

But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine’s Day became definitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of “Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine”, credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine’s Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14. Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems dedicated to the day. In Chaucer’s “The Parliament of Fowls,” the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine’s Day are related:

“For this was on St. Valentine’s Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.”

By the Middle Ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through the Middle Ages. The holiday evolved over the centuries. By the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine’s Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts began to be created on this day and handed over to the man or woman one loved. This tradition eventually spread to the American colonies. It was not until the 1840s that Valentine’s Day greeting cards began to be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine’s Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap”. It was when Howland began Valentine’s cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States.

Today, Valentine’s Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are “valentine”s. The “valentines”, as Valentine’s Day cards are better known as, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentine’s Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.

There may be doubts regarding the actual identity of Valentine, but we know that he really existed because archaeologists have recently unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to a Saint Valentine.

source: http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/history_of_valentine.htm

• ISBN13: 9780312144036
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In The Romantic Movement, Alain de Botton explores the progress of a love affair from first meeting to breaking up, intercut with musings on the nature of art of love. The relationship between Alice, an advertising executive, and Eric, a banker, is examined at every stage, supplemented by quizzes and line drawings by the author and commentary by a chorus of great philosophers, from Descartes to Plato to Aretha Franklin. The Romantic Movement will charm readers and … More >>

The Romantic Movement: Sex, Shopping, and the Novel