Tag: Valentine’s Day

Sending Valentine Flowers

Valentine’s Day is a day set aside each year (on February 14th) to say, “I love you”. Usually people consider Valentine’s Day a day for lovers – and it IS a day for lovers but it is also a day to say, “I love you” to other people in your life.

Red roses are the number one (make that only) choice of flowers to send to the lady love of your life. The meaning of the red rose is ‘love and passion’ but roses are available in different colors and each color has a special meaning.

You might send yellow roses to your parents. Yellow roses symbolize warmth and happiness. Your parents provided you with warmth and happiness for all of your growing-up years so you (both sons and daughters) should send yellow roses to parents on Valentine’s Day this year.

If you have a young daughter or a young niece or God daughter that you want to remember on Valentine’s Day, send her white roses. White roses symbolize “purity and innocence”. They are the perfect flower to send to the young girls in your life.

Send pink roses to your grandparents. Pink roses symbolize grace and elegance. Your grandparents are graceful and elegant so tell them that you love them with a bouquet of pink roses on Valentine’s Day.

Different kinds of roses also have significance. A bouquet of petite roses symbolizes affection. Petite roses are also known as sweetheart roses. A single long stemmed rose says, “Thank you” or “Good job”.

Send roses for Valentine’s Day and choose the ones that will deliver the right message to each person in your life that you care about.

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Who was Cupid?

One of the most universally recognized symbols of Valentine’s Day is Cupid. Legend has it that Cupid (that winged creature that makes us fall in love) is actually equipped with two kinds of arrows. He has golden arrows which cause true love when they penetrate the heart but he also has arrows made of lead which cause wanton sensual passion.

Cupid is the Roman god of love. He is said to be the son of Venus (the goddess of love) and is usually depicted as a chubby, mischievous child with wings who is armed with a bow and a quiver containing a never-ending supply of golden arrows. He uses the bow to shoot a golden arrow into the heart of the unsuspecting victim causing them to fall in love with the next person they meet.

There is a mythological story that describes how Venus, while playing with her son, is scratched by one of his arrows and then falls instantly and helplessly in love with Adonis…the first man she saw after receiving the wound.

In Greek mythology Cupid is known as Eros and is the winged son of Aphrodite. Cherubs are believed to be the descendants of Eros and they are usually depicted as lovable little winged angles that are not armed with bows and arrows.

If Cupid aims an arrow in your direction this Valentine’s Day, just hope that he uses a golden arrow and not one that was made of lead. Wanton desire ends, but true love lasts forever.

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Valentine Sweets to the Sweet

The famous Shakespearean quote, “Sweets to the sweet” is one that often accompanies boxes of chocolates or other candies given to women by the men who love them on Valentine’s Day. On Valentine’s Day this year it is expected, that there will be more than $2.4 million spent on heart shaped boxes of candy. There will likely be more than 36 million boxes of candy sold. Candy is ranked only number two on the list of Valentine’s Day gifts…just behind roses.

So how is it that giving candy as a Valentine gift became a tradition? It is rather hard to say but commercial candy making developed during the early nineteenth century with the advancement of automation and the discovery of sugar beet juice.

The human craving for sweets can probably be attributed to the first caveman who robbed a bee hive. Humans love sweets of all kinds but they especially love chocolate. The rest of the world loves chocolate but Americans REALLY love chocolate. As a matter of fact the very first commercial chocolate factory was built in New England twenty years before the American Independence was declared and the American Revolutionary War was fought. Americans love chocolate and they will consume more than 3 BILLION pounds of it this year.

Chocolate will be the number one selling candy this Valentine’s season. Coming in second are those little pastel colored hearts that are inscribed with love messages. These little hearts are called “conversation hearts” and have such inscriptions as “Luv U” or “Go Away” printed on them.

Yes, “Sweets to the sweet” is what makes the gift of candy such a wonderful and thoughtful Valentine’s Day gift! And who doesn’t love a treat, especially chocolate!

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Who was St. Valentine?

There are several theories about where and how St. Valentine’s Day got started. The real reason why, each year we celebrate love on the fourteenth day of February, may always be shrouded in mystery, but there is no shortage of the legends about why this is true.

One theory is that Valentine was a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II in Rome during the third century. Claudius, it is said, decided that single men made better soldiers than married men, so he issued a decree making it illegal for young men to marry. The priest, Valentine, continued to perform wedding ceremonies in spite of the decree. He just performed the ceremonies in secret. When Claudius found out about Valentine’s disobedience, he ordered him executed.

Valentine’s Day contains vestiges of ancient Roman tradition as well as Christian tradition. The Catholic Church has at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom are martyred, that is, who died for their faith.

There are stories that suggest that St. Valentine was killed by the Romans for helping Christians escape from Roman prisons. There is also a legend that says that Valentine actually sent the first Valentine greeting himself to a young woman (rumored to have been the daughter of one of his jailers) while he was imprisoned. The legend claims that Valentine wrote a love letter to her before his death and signed it, “From your Valentine”. (This is the legend that I like the most.)

You can choose the legend that you like the best. Just don’t forget to send Valentine’s Day greetings to all of those you care about on February 14th…and especially to that special someone in your life! Valentine’s Day is the day to celebrate love in all of its many forms. And fortunately, thanks to e-cards, you can manage it even at the last minute, so long as you do!

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Hearts and Flowers Valentine’s Day Jewelry

Valentine’s Day is the one day each year that is designated as the day to say, “I love you” with both words and gifts. There are many who think of Valentine’s Day as just another commercial opportunity…..a day for which florists, candy makers and jewelry stores are most grateful….but I prefer to think of Valentine’s Day as an opportunity….an opportunity to tell the love of my life that she is and will be loved for all of my life.

Traditionally Valentine’s Day jewelry is heart shaped. (A heart is the universal symbol of love.) The jewelry might be a heart shaped pendant, heart shaped earrings, a bracelet featuring hearts of a ring featuring hearts. There might or might not be precious of semi-precious stones included in the jewelry. The value of Valentine’s Day jewelry isn’t so much monetary as sentimental. (Buy the best that you can afford for your love without breaking the bank or sending yourself deeply into debt….it really IS the thought that counts here!)

Rubies are the traditional stone for Valentine’s Day if there is one simply because they are red in color. Diamonds are always a wonderful choice of a precious stone for the one you love. “They” say that diamonds are forever.

The most important thing that you need to know (next to how much you can afford to spend) is your love’s taste in jewelry. The best way to know what she likes is to take notice of what she buys for herself and what she wears. If you are thinking about buying her a bracelet for Valentine’s Day, you need to notice whether she wears bracelets or not and if she does how large the bracelets are. The same is true of pendants, earrings and rings. Knowing what she likes is part of telling her that you love her. Being able to choose a piece of jewelry that will please her tells her that you care enough to have noticed.

Take the opportunity offered on Valentine’s Day to tell the one that you love how much you care by buying the perfect romantic gift.

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All Roses are Red on Valentine’s Day

Some roses are pink. Pink roses symbolize grace and elegance. Some roses are yellow. Yellow roses symbolize warmth and happiness. White roses symbolize purity and innocence and orange roses symbolize energy, desire and enthusiasm. All roses are beautiful but on Valentine’s Day, only red roses will do. Red roses are the traditional symbol for love and romance and they have been for centuries.

The meaning of red roses can be traced back to some of the earliest cultures. The color red itself has always been symbolic of the very essence of life. In ancient Greek and Roman Mythology the red rose was very closely associated with the goddesses of love. In early societies, red roses were often used as a part of traditional wedding ceremonies. Brides and grooms exchanged red roses as a symbol of lasting love so the red rose just naturally evolved into the ultimate symbol of true love and devotion.

Red roses, as we know them today, were brought to Europe from China in the 1800’s. Poets of old waxed eloquent about the red, red rose. The red rose is featured in many classical paintings. In our modern multi-media world, the red rose is still used as a symbol of true and undying love.

A single perfect red rose is a perfect gift for a young man to give to a young woman that he is falling in love with. A dozen red roses are even better. On Valentine’s Day all roses are red because red roses are the universal symbol of undying love.

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