Barinder Saluja, Chandigarh,Feb. 14 : Some hate it, and for some it is just another day on the calendar. But a good number love Feb. 14 as well, and that is what the day is all about. As Cupid returns on the true red lettered day on the calender, lovers across the world celebrate Valentine’s Day on Monday. Chandigarh youth also celebrated the February 14 i.e. St.Valentine’s day, in their own ways. One could see the roads choked up with the red balloon’s & red roses decorated cars, overloaded by girls & boys, since morning, on the famous “Geri” rout of the city. Geri rout is the middle road running from the sector eight to sector eleven, passing through sector nine & ten. This road got famous among the college students, way back in 80’s as almost all the colleges of city are situated on this road.
Some of them jam packed the local disco’s, dancing to the tunes of the latest songs along with their partners. This day was not only confined to the students but newly wedded were also seen immersed in the fervour of this very day. Roads, Markets, Disco’s – all the places were decked up to depict the very essence of the St.Valentine’s day, The Red Theme ; symbol of Love.
Valentine’s Day is named in the honour of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, who it is believed, was murdered on Feb. 14 AD 269. During that time, the Roman emperor Claudius II cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome, as he was having a hard time getting men to join the military, and he believed married men, being emotionally attached to their wives and families, did not make good soldiers.
However, Valentine secretly married couples until he was caught, then, refusing to renounce his Christian beliefs, was sentenced to be beaten to death with clubs and have his head cut off. The very same day, Feb. 14, has been devoted to ‘love lotteries’.
One legend suggests he left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter before his death which said “Love from your Valentine,” which is considered to be the first Valentine’s card.
Perhaps we’ll never know the true identity and story behind the man named St. Valentine, but this much is for sure…February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating clear back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentines ranks second only to Christmas in number of greeting cards sent. Today, approximately one-fourth of all the cards sent in a year are sent on Valentine’s Day. But while the day is about love, cards, chocolates and flowers in Canada, the day is celebrated differently around the world.
It was the pope who set aside Feb. 14 to honor St. Valentine in AD 496. However, the day was not often celebrated until the Middle Ages. Gift giving and exchanging of hand-made cards became common in England around the 18th century, while in the 1840s the holiday caught on in the United States.
For example, in Spain books are often given on Feb. 14, while in Finland the day marks the honoring of friends, not lovers. In South Korea and Japan, women are to give chocolate to men on Valentine’s Day, while men are to give sweets to women on White Day one month later.