My date With Love

Valentine’s Day is a special holiday on 14th February. In Europe and the Americas this is a very important day on which people express their feelings and desires for each other by openly declaring their love. On this day people give Valentine day cards, flowers (especially red roses) and confectionery. This day is named after early Christian martyr named Valentine. This day is now officially associated with romantic love.

This day is celebrated because in fourth century B.C. the Romans were engaged in an annual young man’s rite to passage to the God Lupercus. The holiday’s roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration practiced annually on February 15. During this day the names of all the teenage girls where put in a box, which were taken out by adolescent men.

A man was declared the partner of which ever women’s name he took out from that box. But this partnership lasted only for one year. The next year another lottery was taken out. After eight hundred years of this inhuman activity, the early church fathers declared to ban it. This day is named after a saint called St. Valentine. St. Valentine was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.

He died on February 14, 269 A.D.; this day has been devoted to love and romance. Valentine was martyred because he disobeyed a law made under Claudius II in Rome. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military armies. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. This was the reason due to which he banned all marriages and love relationships.

Valentine did not obey this law and continued to celebrate the holy bond of marriage for young couples in secrecy. He and of St. Marius helped Christians to secretly get married. The emperor was impressed with this young priest’s dignity and conviction so he wanted to convert him to the roman Gods, in order save him from the execution.  But Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences very well. Because of this he suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February.

When Valentine was in jail he secretly wrote a letter to the jailor’s daughter. This love letter he signed as “your Valentine”. Hence this phase came into existence. Valentine’s Day is the symbol of love a romance. This day is also famous because during this special day the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines is also followed.

Valentine Day is celebrated with excitement and enthusiasm through out the world. On this day lovers exchange love cards, notes, flowers, candies and gifts. On this traditional day romance and love are celebrated openly. People are in high spirits and celebrate this occasion in the most brilliant fashion.