Fill your Valentine's Day with love

Celebrating Valentine's Day comes with all sorts of inherited romantic traditions which can certainly be fun and bring lots of joy! But this is also a great way to get creative with showing people how much they are loved–even if it isn't a romantic relationship. DO we really know why the day is celebrated. Let's have a look into it.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 every year. On this special day, those in love express their affection through wishes, gifts, and greetings. As per the sayings, Valentine's Day has an association with the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which used to be celebrated in February and was dedicated to fertility and togetherness of men and women through lottery. Pope Gelasius I later banned this celebration. It is believed that the decision was taken to replacing it with St. Valentine's Day but we do not have any proof of that.

What we do know is that the existence of Valentine's Day was not before the 14th century. Various stories are running around the origin of Valentine's Day. According to reports, the day took its name from a priest who was executed by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus in 270 CE because he used to wed young soldiers against the emperor's orders to spare them from war. "He had signed a letter "from your Valentine" to his jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness."

Some believe that the day got its name from St. Valentine of Terni, who was a bishop. It is said that these two saints can be one person. According to it, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as Valentine's Day in honour of the deceased St. Valentine in the 5th century AD. However, it took a long time for people to consider it a romantic holiday. In the 14th century, Europeans started confessing their love for each other on this day.

Later in the 16th century, people started to exchange letters and cards to express their love on Valentine's Day. The USA picked up this trend soon after that and since then February 14 is globally celebrated as Valentine's Day.

Try out some of these ideas for celebrating love

Make a card or gift for someone

Whether it's a romantic partner or just a friend, Valentine's Day is a great day to say "I Love You". Hand made cards and gifts are especially welcome when it comes to showing someone how much they are cared for. January is a dark and quiet month anyway, so there's plenty of time to prepare homemade gifts from a hobby like knitting a scarf, braiding a friendship bracelet, embroidering a towel, painting a picture or simply making a card.

Send roses for Valentine's Day

With delivery services abounding in almost every town, getting flowers delivered has never been easier! Choose to send red roses that stand for passion; yellow for friendship; pink for sweetness; peach for sincerity or gratefulness; white for purity or loyalty; ivory for perfection; and lavender for a crush (or love at first sight!).

Make dinner reservations

It's likely that a last minute idea for going out to dinner will result in ordering takeout to eat at home, because restaurants are basically always full on Valentine's Day. But, think ahead (sometimes months ahead, depending on the popularity of the restaurant) and make a reservation for two at a romantic place.

Enjoy a story about love

Head over to a local bookstore or library and browse the selection of novels or biographies that might feature stories about love. Or, it might even be interesting to read a biography about the guys named Valentine!