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Friday, February 13, 2009

Dear readers.. happy Valentine's Day !

Valentine's Day around the world
St Valentine's Day, celebrated around the world on 14 February, has been unable to escape controversy.
The Chinese authorities are suspicious of the religious origins of the celebrations, while conservative Hindus in India consider Valentine's Day to be an alien Western import.
However, neither ideological objection or militant intervention appears to have been able to check the growing international popularity of this day.

History of Valentine's Day
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Is romance dead?
Young people prefer having sex to receiving chocolates and red roses from their loved ones, according to a survey.
The report by the International Planned Parenthood Federation - published on Valentine's Day - also reveals that between 70 and 80% of teenagers are sexually active.
Another Valentine poll shows that one in five young people don't want to get married, preferring to live with their partners instead.
So, is the traditional spirit of Valentine's Day dead, with romance and "courting" being replaced by the desire to have sex? And how is your Valentine's Day going, is it delightful or a disaster?
Romance leaves you open to a broken heart and that's the last thing anyone wants in our almost Darwinistic society


Be happy...........................