Always a special time for sharing the love
It’s time to start spreading the love in 2017 with Valentine’s Day just around the corner.
So whether you are planning to keep to a strict budget or splash out, there’s always a way to let that special person in your life know how much they mean to you. Saint Valentine has a lot to answer for. A Catholic priest who secretly married soldiers after a ban from Emperor Claudius II forbid him from doing so, became a legend and reason why we still celebrate today.
St Valentine was eventually caught and, while imprisoned, cured the blindness of a young girl, the daughter of his jailer.
Before his execution, he wrote the girl a letter of affection signed “From Your Valentine”.
He was executed on February 14 and we celebrate it every year.
The celebration is worldwide and although in the UK we send cards, flowers, chocolates and even enjoy a special dinner with our loved one, in other parts of the world it is a day for loving friends and family too.
Traditionally though we send cards, beautifully made and still bearing the icons from hundreds of years ago. Hearts, flowers and cupids with arrows all hark back to the origins of St Valentine’s Day.
Restaurants offer special deals for loving couples to enjoy their delicious Valentine’s meals. Or you may hit the town for cocktails.
And it may be the time when you want to pop that special question to your beloved. A romantic setting of a restaurant could be the perfect surroundings for you to get down on bended knee and ask him or her to marry you.
Flowers are also arranged for the day, with blood-red roses being both romantic and symbolic of St Valentine’s unjust death. As we have moved into a digital world, the gifts of Valentine’s Day have became more and more elaborate.
Some couples may escape for a romantic night away together. What could be better than a break from the usual routine to spend quality time as a couple?
Often jewellery and tokens of love are exchanged but the message always remains the same even if it is a simple text. It should read: “From Your Valentine.”