Valentines Day ? A Bit of fun!

In a bid not to be thoroughly depressed being single on Valentines day....again!!  I decided I would look into the history of the holiday.  Although it is not strictly a holiday as nowhere in the world do you actually get the day off for Valentines day and I am not talking about throwing a sickie! that doesn't count!

It seems to date back to around 496 AD in honour of Saint Valentine an early Christian martyr.  Pope Gelasius 1 instituted it as a day of celebration.  Valentines day is celebrated around the Globe on February 14th.

There was actually at least three Christian Saints called Valentine so who we have to thank for this loving celebration is possibly quite hard to tell.  It wasn't always celebrated in the way we do now, we cards covered in love hearts, flowers and chocolates.  It seems this aspect of Valentines day began to flourish during the time of Geoffrey Chaucer and it continued to evolve as a time that lovers expressed their undying love with gifts of flowers and trinkets of affection.

However they are many accounts of where Valentines day originated another story talks about the pairing of young men and women during Roman times and a priest called Valentine, a great romantic at heart who disobeyed the Emperor's decree that all soldiers must remain single.  The Emperor believed that the soldiers would be distracted by the women and unable to fight for thoughts of love and passion.  The priest secretly married couples and was eventually executed for it on February 14th.

So as many legends and holidays go this is yet another one that is steeped in tradition and mystery but as holidays go this is one of my favourites.  I celebrated with my Mum this year who as usual didn't end up with so much as a 'Bunch of bleedin' daffs' but you know what it was really nice.  Valentines day after all is the celebration of love.

Facts about Valentines Day

• Nearly 1 billion cards are sent on Valentines and yet again I wasn't one of the recipients yet again!!!  
• Surprise, Surprise women buy 85% of the valentines gifts/cards
• 3% of pet owners will give a card to their pet ??????!!!!!
• Point for the guys 73% of flowers bought are by men
• Love this one - The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day
•  I am in the wrong business - Approximately 110 million roses, mostly red, will be sold and delivered within the three-day Valentine's Day time period
• Is this the excuse I need to eat chocolate today? - Physicians of the 1800's commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.

This will be me!!!! 

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day.  I am off to bed to cuddle the cat!! and no I didn't buy it a a card!!!

Kate x