Valentine's Day
“I don’t understand why Cupid was chosen to
represent Valentine’s Day. When I think
about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at
me with a weapon” – Anonymous
Indeed
one does not need to dig deep to understand but in ancient Roman mythology. it
is said Cupid is the famous of all Valentine symbols and he is the boy who is
armed with bow & arrows and piercing hearts. He is best known as a mischievous, winged child
whose arrows signify desires and emotions of love. He aims his arrows at Gods and humans,
causing them to fall deeply in love. If
any, he has always played an important role in the celebration of love between
a man and a woman. Today, Cupid and his
arrows have become the most popular of love signs and what better time for his
love signs to be prominently featured other than on Valentine’s Day which is
celebrated the world over.
Everyone
knows February has long been celebrated as a month of romance but the history
of Valentine’s Day has always been shrouded in mystery. Put simply, the day of romance we call
Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th
century but has its origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia. According to one legend, when Valentine was
imprisoned for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, he
actually sent the first “Valentine” greeting to a young girl who visited him
during his confinement. It was said his
letter was signed off as “From your Valentine” – an expression of his love and
the famous phrase has since been used until today.
Cupid
and his bow & arrows aside, one important symbol of modern love that is in
a form of a gift from a man to his woman and it is candy gift that comes with
conversation hearts, truffles galore and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. The gift is likely to melt a girl’s heart
when roses are added. It is said that this
tradition of giving flowers which is known as “floriography” or the language of
flowers as a means to communicate feelings started during Victorian times. When a man presents a bouquet of red roses to
his woman, it indicates passion and romantic love.
This
is to wish all loving couples an early “Happy Valentine’s”
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