Here & There Column 2-14-12

Still Time For Flowers & Candy

If you're reading this and it's slipped your mind that today is Valentine's Day there still is time to get in on this romantic event for lovers.
It's that time of the year folks to exchange, cards, small gifts, flowers, chocolates, jewelry, take your sweetheart out for a romantic dinner or even to fall in love, get engaged or get married.
Retail stores, restaurants and many merchants say this holiday gives a nice boost to the February (winter) economy.
The traditions of Valentine's Day are broad and many with the roots of this day going back to ancient times when people paid honor to the Roman God of Fertility and was celebrated as the Feast of Lupercalia, celebrated of course on February 14.
Riding high on the popular list of gifts purchased for this day is chocolate and statistics point out that during both before and on the actual day some 75% of the chocolate purchases are made by men......retail sales say over $1 billion of chocolate is purchased for Valentine's Day.
This popular holiday is named after St. Valentine, the patron saint of Valentine's Day and a brief history of St. Valentine is that during the days of the Roman empire Christianity was discriminated against and Christian marriages were forbidden at that time.
St. Valentine, then the Bishop of Rome, continued to preach Christianity and to perform christian marriages. He was imprisoned and later executed. In one of his last letters he signed is "From your Valentine", which is where this holiday then got it's name.
Cupid is of course the most recognized symbol of love and Valentine's Day would not be complete without speaking of Cupid, the God of Love.
Cupid will be shooting his arrows of love this day and if he hits you, you might fall helplessly in love with the next person you meet......Happy Valentine's Day.