Happy Valentine's Day

There is funny story doing rounds on the internet about the "Gujrati origin" of the Valentine's day. A few days ago it was forwarded to me by one of my good friend (JMK). The story claims the origin of the name "valentine's" is from the famous Indian kitchen household "Velan". During this time Gujrati Patel ladies beat their husbands with a Velan!  and thus this time is come to be celebrated as "Velan-Times".!!!! Any way this prompted me to find out the actual reason of the days celebration.

Here it is for you to read the real story of the day...as long as you don't want to prosecute me for insulting our great Indian pride.

Valentine’s Day is a day honoring lovers around the world. It is celebrated on February 14 as a holiday in the west (and now even in India) by sending greeting cards or gifts to express affection. The cards, known as valentines, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. Every February, across the globe, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.

But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this day?

The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and clouded by fanciful legends. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. Its roots are obscured by mystery and there are varying opinions about it. Its origins have become themes of many legends.
According to a legend, the holiday has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. As Christianity came to dominance in Europe, holidays were frequently renamed for early Christian martyrs. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius recast Lupercalis festival on February 14 to be the feast day of the Roman martyr Saint Valentine, who lived in the 3rd century. Which St. Valentine pope intended to honor remains a mystery. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by that name. One was a priest in Rome, another a bishop in Terni, and of a third St. Valentine in Africa. Rather astonishingly, all three Valentines were said to have been martyred on Feb. 14.

Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine was a priest who attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II around 270. The history of St. Valentine's Day has - the Protestant and the Catholic legends. According to both legends, Valentine was a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter.

Valentine, realized the injustice of the decree. Seeing the trauma of young lovers, he met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. He defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. But Claudius soon learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. The Catholic legend has it that through the vehicle of his strong faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after. Another legend has it that Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius, fell in love with the daughter of his jailer. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. Probably the most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not focused on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion.

Some of funny Valentine's day cards of olden times:

1887	1900	1906	1926

The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the Roman gods, to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. What happened was what was to happen. All attempts to convert the emperor failed.

On February 14, 270 AD, Valentine was executed.

Valentine thus become a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine's name. It was not until the 14th century that this Christian feast day became definitively associated with love.

Valentine's Day is all about love. But what, exactly, is that?

Helen Fisher is an anthropologist at Rutgers University in New Jersey and author of  book on love, Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love. Fisher breaks love into three distinct brain systems that enable mating and reproduction:

• Sex drive
• Romantic love (obsession, passion, infatuation)
• Attachment (calmness and security with a long-term partner)

These are brain systems, not phases and all three play a role in love. They can operate independently, but people crave all three for an ideal relationship.

"Sex drive evolved to get you out there looking for a range of partners. Romantic love evolves to enable you to focus your mating energy on just one at a time, and attachment evolved to tolerate that person at least long enough to raise children together."

Valentine's Day, can encompass only two of these three brain systems: sex drive and romantic love. However "once you start giving the dog a valentine, you are talking about a real expression of attachment as well as romantic love."

Happy Valentine to ALL.