Valentine's Day Gifts On A Budget 
Homemade Valentine's Day Cards to Make

The History of Valentine's Day   by Natalie Aranda
Love has many different meanings in every single language but there is a universal traditional day when people express their inner feelings for each other, either love or friendship. Valentine's Day was coined as the exchange day for those with these naturally feelings for others, throughout all cultures.

The origins of Valentine's day are traced back to the Medieval era associated with the Catholic Church feast day, but love and fertility nexus with this particular date falling on February 14 comes from the ancient times of Greece, when the Athens calendar included a period between mid January and mid February called the Gamelion, a month dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera, hence associated with love and fertility.

Lupercalia, the festival of Lupercus, the God of Fertility, was the equivalent in the Roman Empire and taking place on February 15, time of purification rituals. Lupercus was represented as a half-naked man dressed in goatskins. His priests sacrificed goats to the god on this day and after drinking wine, they ran through the Roman streets holding pieces of goat and touching anyone in their run including women in the belief to receive an easy childbirth.

There is no written reference about how Saint Valentine became the romantic love protector, in fact the Catholic martyrologies mention three different Saint Valentines under the date of February 14; a priest in Rome, a bishop of Interamna, and a martyr in the Roman province of Africa, making even more obscure the origins of this celebration.

However, in the 5th century the feast of Saint Valentine was officially decreed to be on February 14 by Pope Gelasius I during the year 496. In a later assumption, this could be just an attempt to supersede pagan holidays like Lupercalia celebrated in Rome until then. Apart from this historical setting, the rest is just legends.

Throughout time, the gift of blooming wild flowers was a common practice to demonstrate romantic love or affection between partners on Valentine's Day. Daisy flowers became a sort of "yes-no" love divination. Today, daisies have their own meaning of innocence and loyal love, associated with the fifth wedding anniversary.

During the 19th century, roses took their place having different meanings according to their color or numbers of flowers given on Valentine's Day. It was during the Victorian century when relics exhumed from the Roman catacombs of Saint Hippolytus were identified with Saint Valentine.

In 1836, the relics were donated by Pope Gregory XVI to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, but once again, the obscure origins of Valentines (or Valentinus) and his relics are alleged to lie at the reliquary of Roquemaure in France and in Sankt Stephans Kirche in Vienna.

Instead of an uncertain Saint image, the 19th century associated the figure of the winged Cupid to Saint Valentine's Day, along with and heart-shaped outline cards and paper cuts to be sent with flowers on this day, tradition remains today when a wide array of flowers can be chosen online and delivered anywhere just by placing your order via the internet.

Valentine's Day 2004, Erica was in Bristol, UK and her boyfriend Clint was in Oxford, UK. Clint decided to head to the internet. Typing in "Oxford florists", then "flowers in Bristol", He found the perfect Valentine's flowers for her. The flowers can be ordered online from Oxford, UK and sent to Bristol, UK and would arrive early next morning.

Natalie Aranda is a freelance writer. She writes about family, love and relationship. She enjoyed the experience of Northampton florists, UK for flower delivery in Derby, UK.

The History Of The Mysterious Valentine's Day   by Eric V. Allen
February 14th, the holiday of Love! Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. Who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred - none of whom were associated with roses OR chocolate.

Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine of the holiday was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. During this time, around 270 A.D., emperor Claudius ll prohibited marriages for young men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers. Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies but was eventually apprehended by the Romans and ordered by Claudius to be put to death. But his courageous blessing of the bonds of love may have earned him a notable place in history.

Another legend has it that Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius; fell in love with the daughter of his jailer who visited him during confinement. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent her a letter signed "from your Valentine" an expression that is still used today. We could say this marked the very first Valentine's Day.

Possibly the most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine and his day is one not focused on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Subsequently, his love for his god may have gone down in history.

Our final possibility for the origins our our holiday: It could be that we celebrate Valentines Day on the 14th because this is the day that St. Valentine died. However, some believe that the celebration of Valentines Day was an attempt by the Church to civilize the celebration of the pagan Lupercalia festival - held on the 15th of February. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Lupercalia festival was deemed un-Christian and outlawed.

Valentine's Greetings
The oldest known valentine gift 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. The greeting, written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. 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. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) 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".

And Who is this Cupid?
Another valentine icon you may be wondering about is Cupid (from Latin cupido, "desire"). In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros, god of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love. The Romans believed white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell, as she mourned the loss of her beloved Adonis. Her son Cupid, while being stung by a bee, shot arrows in the rose garden; the sting of the arrows became thorns. Venus pricked her foot on a thorn, and the droplets of blood dyed the roses red.

Sending Roses on Valentine's Day
Why should you send roses to your loved one this Valentine's Holiday? The rose is the symbol of love, of magic, of hope, and of passion....perfect to let your loved one know how you feel about him/her! The rose represents ultimate beauty and perfection. It is the messenger of Romance!

A dozen red roses remains the classic Valentine's Day favorite (ok, it's a toss up between roses and chocolate - but we all knwo why chocolate is). However, many women report that they adore roses in other colors just as much. There are hundreds of colors to choose from. The choices are endless and it's easier than ever to select a rose that is as unique as your sweetheart.

Whatever your Valentine's gift to give or receive, have fun this holiday of love - may this little bit of history add to your enjoyment!

Eric is a friend of the rose growers at rosefarm.com, where one can send roses and gift baskets to their friends and loved ones.