The History of Valentine's Day

Meet Beautiful Singles Near You - Join Free Now!

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Saint Valentine as a priest at the temple during the reign, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be jailed and put to death. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine.
Some states that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity also attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. Who was then killed and died on February 14, 269 A.D., this day had been devoted to love giving.
Some says that actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter who visited him during his confinement, whom he fell in love with. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From Your Valentine" an expression that is still in use today.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial.
Others claim that the Christian church may celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping and sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. The festival begin with members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. All the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn, city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February "Valentine's Day" should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (the first was Christmas).Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

Free Registration - InterracialSingles.com

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Celebrating Valentine’s Day Apart







Celebrating Valentine’s Day Apart

Fun, Sweet and Personalised Cards at Moonpig.com

There are a number of reasons why a couple may find themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart. Couples who are in a long distance relationship, business trips, shifts which prevent couples from being together, sickness and family emergencies are just a few examples of reasons why a couple may find themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart. While you may certainly understand the reasons why you and your loved ones cannot be together on Valentine’s Day it does not make it any easy to deal with this situation. You may still feel sad and lonely if you find yourself in one of these situations. However, there is home for those who are spending Valentine’s Day apart from their loved ones, there are a few ways for making the day a lot more fun. This article will provide information on ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day apart in a number of different scenarios.

DVD AVENUE

First we will consider the case of a couple who is in a long distance relationship. For this couple, they may be used to spending important days such as Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and other holidays apart so it may not be as difficult for them to deal with. However, there are ways this couple can still celebrate Valentine’s Day together. One way to do this is to both rent the same movie and watch it while on the phone together. This may run up your phone bill but if you have unlimited evening minutes you and your partner can chat away on your cell phones while you watch the movie together. You might even consider both ordering the same type of food such as pizza or Chinese food so you will feel even more together for a little while.


Next we will consider a couple who finds themselves spending Valentine’s Day apart do to an unexpected business trip. This can be particularly difficult because the couple is not used to being apart on important days and likely did not have a great deal of time to prepare for spending the holiday apart. In this situation the couple should discuss Valentine’s Day as soon as they realize they are going to be spending the holiday apart. While discussing it they can decide whether they want to celebrate before they separate or after they are reunited. It is also important for the couple to try to at least have some contact on Valentine’s Day even if it is over the phone or through email. This will allow the couple to feel like they are together in some way so they don’t get too lonely. Having flowers delivered to your loved one while you are separated is also a very thoughtful gesture.
Valentine Romance Gift Basket (large) - JustFlowers.com
5 x 7 Picture Frame 2 Sensual Votive candles Valentine Taffy Whips 6 oz Chocolate Malt Balls 8 oz Fudge Filled Shortbread cookies 8 oz Strawberries and Blackberries candies Chocolate covered almonds 12 oz Valentine Heart w/ assorted chocolates The Romance of Love Book 6" Taper Candles Red Decorative basket
Valentine Romance Gift Basket (large) - JustFlowers.com
Valentine's Day Gift box w/ 2 doz. Berries - JustFlowers.com
Our most popular gift. Our fancy foiled gift boxes, with plush black velvet linings, serve up tempting assortments of Sharis Berries gourmet dipped strawberries decorated with six of our original toppings.
Valentine's Day Gift box w/ 2 doz. Berries - JustFlowers.com
Finally, we will consider the case of a couple who cannot spend Valentine’s Day together because one or both of them does work which involves odd shifts. This could include doctors, firefighters, police officers or a variety of other professions. Individuals in this type of situation are probably used to their odd schedule and making time to be together outside of working hours. In this case the best way to deal with being apart on Valentine’s Day is to send some gifts or flowers first then plan on celebrating together when it is more convenient. This may not seem like the most romantic option but sometimes it is important to remember that you love your partner every day of the year and you don’t have to be together on Valentine’s Day to prove your love for each other.


Mahogany Box Carved With A Heart + 2 Refills (45 pieces)
Triple the bliss!Elevate our Touch? to a euphoric new height by tripling the chocolate bliss. Our Touch? collectible box is accompanied by a two-pack chocolate refill. This product has been competitively priced: one of the 2 refills included is complimentary.
Mahogany Box Carved With A Heart + 2 Refills (45 pieces)
Chocolate Box With I Love You Engraved In French (15 pieces)
Je t?aime!Give the priceless without spending a fortune. Declare your feelings in the language of love with Je t?aime a singular romantic offering. Astonish with this exotic and stunning assortment of hand-made French artisan chocolates - all nestled within a delicate heart themed box and topped with a brass plate engraved with the timeless message of love ? Je t?aime. We decided to seal this message in French because nothing conveys romance and seduction like a true ?I love you? in French
Chocolate Box With I Love You Engraved In French (15 pieces)
4 Love Boxes Filled With Heart-Shaped Chocolates (40 pieces)
When all the elements unite.Fire Water Air and Earth coalesce to create a magnificent harmony of 40 enchanting chocolates. Each facet of your love will be deliciously represented by this foursome of unbridled passionate expression composed of the world?s finest chocolate. This product has been competitively priced: get 4 elements for a little over the price of 2 elements!
4 Love Boxes Filled With Heart-Shaped Chocolates (40 pieces)
Share on Facebook

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Beaded dog charms for the dog lovers







Beaded dog charms for the dog lovers
I think that Valentine's day should be for everyone you love and I literally mean everyone, even your beloved pets and this is specially for the dog lovers out there, here's a few free tutorial for making adorable beaded 3D dogs:
Free beaded chihuahua dog tutorial
Free beaded Poodle dog tutorial
Free beaded dog tutorial
Free beaded Schnauzer dog tutorial
Make these little beaded dog charms to hang on your mobile phone, key chains, bags or anywhere you can think of, especially if you can make one that looks like your pet dog, you can make two, one for you to carry around and one for the dog that goes on to the dog collar as a collar charm.
Beaded Silver Chihuahua Beaded White Chihuahua Beaded Chihuahua Beaded Black Chihuahua Beaded Golden Chihuahua Beaded Yellow Chihuahua Beaded Poodle Dog Beaded Dog Golden Schnauzer Gold Schnauzer Black Schnauzer Black Schnauzer Front View Champagne Schnauzer Champagne Schnauzer Front View

14k Diamond Dog Charms - Diamond Dog Charm in White Gold
14k Diamond Dog Charms - Diamond Dog Charm in White Gold Each diamond charm includes a lobster claw for easy attachment to a necklace or charm bracelet. 0.10cts total diamond weight 7/8 " long.
14k Diamond Dog Charms - Diamond Dog Charm in White Gold
Dog Charms - 14K Yellow Gold Diamond and Orange Sapphire Daschund Dog Pendant
Dog Charms - 14K Yellow Gold Diamond and Orange Sapphire Daschund Dog Pendant 14K dog charm includes orange sapphires and 0.01 cts. of diamonds in the dogs eye. The charm is completed with a 14k gold lobster claw clasp for easy attachment to a charm bracelet or pendant necklace.
Dog Charms - 14K Yellow Gold Diamond and Orange Sapphire Daschund Dog Pendant
Diamond Dog Charms - 14k Diamond Dog Charm in Yellow Gold
Diamond Dog Charms - 14k Diamond Dog Charm in Yellow Gold Each diamond charm includes a lobster claw for easy attachment to a necklace or charm bracelet. 0.10cts total diamond weight 7/8 " long.
Diamond Dog Charms - 14k Diamond Dog Charm in Yellow Gold

Share on Facebook

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Beaded cat kitten charms for the cat lovers







Beaded cat kitten charms for the cat lovers
I think that Valentine's day should be for everyone you love and I literally mean everyone, even your beloved pets and this is specially for the cat lovers out there, here's the free tutorial for a adorable beaded 3D cat kitten: Free beaded cat tutorial
Make this little beaded cat kitten charms to hang on your mobile phone, key chains, bags or anywhere you can think of, especially if you can make one that looks like your pet cat, you can make two, one for you to carry around and one for the cat that goes on to the cat collar as a collar charm.
Beaded 3D Cat Kitten Cat Beaded 3D Kitten Beaded Cat Kitten Beaded Cat Beaded Kitten Cat Beaded Kitten Beaded Kitten Charm

Kitty Cat Ladies Bling Charm and Chain
Kitty Cat Ladies Bling Charm and Chain
Yellow Sapphire Gold Cat Charms - 14k Two Tone Cat charm with Diamonds, Yellow Sapphires and Green Garnets 0.05 cts.
Yellow Sapphire Gold Cat Charms - 14k Two Tone Cat charm with Diamonds, Yellow Sapphires and Green Garnets 0.05 cts.
Yellow Sapphire Gold Cat Charms - 14k Two Tone Cat charm with Diamonds, Yellow Sapphires and Green Garnets 0.05 cts. 14K two tone gold precious yellow sapphire are featured with green garnet stones as eyes. and 0.05cts diamond in set in the white gold collar. 14k white gold lobster clasp is included for easy attachment to most bracelets. Full cut diamonds are GH color, SI1 clarity. Approximately 5/8 inch long.
Cat Charms - 14K Gold Cat Gemstone Pink Sapphire Charm or Pendant
Cat Charms - 14K Gold Cat Gemstone Pink Sapphire Charm or Pendant
Cat Charms - 14K Gold Cat Gemstone Pink Sapphire Charm or Pendant 14k yellow gold Cat Charm features a familiar rear facing cat pose. A convenient 14k white lobster clasp easily attaches to any charm bracelet or necklace.
14k Diamond Charms - Diamond Cat Charm in Yellow Gold
14k Diamond Charms - Diamond Cat Charm in Yellow Gold
14k Diamond Charms - Diamond Cat Charm in Yellow Gold Each diamond charm includes a lobster claw for easy attachment to a necklace or charm bracelet. 0.10cts total diamond weight 7/8 " long
Share on Facebook
SearchDollar Text Link Exchange Text Back Link Exchange Text Backlink Exchanges Add to Technorati Favorites Blogadr.com - Listed (add your blog to Blogadr.com) Blogadr.com - Listed (Blog Topics) SeeNotice.com (Free Classifieds) giftvalentinesday.blogspot.com - Rankse.com Overfeed.com - Browse latest news and comments from listed blogs and websites in our directory. Blog Topics Get this blog as a slideshow! Blogadr Update Furniture Singapore Freight Singapore Lodging Singapore Florist Singapore Bead Jewelry Making Valentines Day Gift - Blogged OverShopping Link Exchange Bid Based Wed Directory