Valentine's Celebration

“I love you not only for what you are but    for what I am when I am with you.”

Elizabeth Barrette Browning

Valentines day has been associated with romantic love since the Middle Ages when courtly love flourished. From the 18th-Century, lovers have expressed their love for each other by giving flowers, sweets and hand written greeting cards know as 'valentines'. In Europe, Valentines Keys are also given as romantics symbols, an invitation to unlock the giver's heart.

Hearts, cupids, doves are all symbols that we associate with Valentines Day.

In China Valentine's Day is called Lovers' Festival. Men give chocolate and flowers to the woman they love, celebrating the legend of a cow herder and a maid being allowed to be together. It is not celebrated on the 14th of February as it is too close to the Chinese New Year, but one month later on the 14th March often know as White Day.

In recent years, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China have begun celebrating 'White Day'. In Japan, women give men chocolate gifts 'chocolate of love', on Valentine's day, and men reciprocate, giving women gifts on White Day.

The term sanbai gaeshi, 三倍返しmeaning 'triple the return' is used to describe the rule that the return gift should be two to three times the worth of the Valentine's gift. Typical gifts include cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie, and marshmallows.

The routes of Valentines Day go back to an ancient raucous Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia. Later, the Christian church chose mid-February as St. Valentines Day in order to Christianise it after a cleric named Valentine was sentenced to death for performing marriage ceremonies in secret. Emperor Claudius 11 had banned marriage for young men, believing single men made better soldiers. At the end of the 5th Century, Pope Gelasius 1 declared Feb 14th. the day for honouring the soft-hearted Valentine, 'St. Valentine's Day.'

It wasn't until the 1300's that people started to associate the day with love and romance when Feb 14th was believed to be the beginning of bird mating season.

The first written valentine card was in the 1400's and by the 17th. Century a tradition in Great Britton of exchanging cards or letters and poems had begun that soon took off in the USA.
More than 62% of Americans celebrates Valentine's day with romantic dinners and gifts candy flowers cards. It's their most popular holiday.

Valentines Day has exploded. 1 billion valentines cards are sent, more than for any other holiday except for Xmas. 35 million heart shaped boxes of chocolates. With a 20 billion US Dollar yearly spend [US$130 per person per year]. 4 billion dollars annually is spent on engagement rings with 6 million couples getting engaged on the day.

We now have a 'Valentines Week'...........A week to be your most romantic and passionate, to spoil your beloved with roses, propose, pamper with teddy's and hugs, a promise, followed by kisses..........

1. Rose Day on Feb 7, 'Happy Rose Day.'

2. Propose Day on Feb 8, 'Happy Propose Day.'

3. Chocolate Day on Feb 9, 'Happy Chocolate Day.' 

4. Teddy Day on Feb 10, 'Happy Teddy Day.'

5. Promise Day on Feb 11, 'Happy Promise Day.'

6. Kiss Day on Feb 12, Happy Kiss Day

7. Hug Day on Feb 13, Happy Hug

8. Valentine’s Day on Feb 14....................................... 

'Happy Valentines Day.'