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Celebrating love!

February brings excitement into lover’s heart with much anticipation all around – many couples across the world celebrate Valentine’s Day but not many know its significance

The love week has begun and the preparation for the perfect Valentine's Day celebration is on full swing. Romantic dinner, greeting cards, chocolates and flowers are sure to follow. But interestingly, the day is not merely an occasion for romantic lovers but a time to appreciate friends in some social circles and cultures. Valentine's Day in Finland refers to "Friend's Day", which is more about remembering all friends rather than focusing solely on romance. Valentine's Day in Guatemala is known as Day of Love and Friendship. It is similar to Valentine's Day customs and traditions but it is also a time for many to show their appreciation for their friends.

Often we would hear our parents and senior members say, this wasn't a part of their life. I'm confident you have heard them say it. But hold on, Valentine's Day is deeply rooted in the past. The accurate origin of Valentine's Day is not clear but many sources believe that it stems from the story of St Valentine, a Roman priest who was martyred on or around February 14 in the year 270 CE. How he became the patron saint of lovers remains a mystery but one theory is that the church used the day of St Valentine's martyrdom to Christianize

the old Roman Lupercalia, a pagan festival held around the middle of February. The ancient ceremony included putting girls' names in a box and letting the boys draw them out. Couples would then be paired off until the following year. The Christian church substituted saints' names for girls' names in hope that the participant would model his life after the saint whose name he drew. However, it was once again girls' names that ended up in the box by the 16th century.

Eventually, the custom of sending anonymous cards or messages to those whom one admired became the accepted way of celebrating Valentine's Day. There was an increase in interest in Valentine's Day, first in the United States and then in Canada, in the mid-19th century. Early versions of Valentine cards fashioned of satin and lace and ornamented with flowers, ribbons, and images of cupids or birds appeared in England in the 1880s. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who fall in love are sometimes said to be "struck by Cupid's arrow". The day focuses on love, romance, appreciation and friendship.

For those who love to love and feel loved, this undoubtedly is the best time to celebrate love. May love rule the world and make it lovely for all.

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