Every February, across the country, chocolates, 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 day ? 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...

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The Valentine Day Heart: What is the origin of the familiar double-lobed heart symbol seen on Valentine's Day? Would you like to know more.. click here

History of Valentine
Valentine's Day celebration dates back to the ancient times when the 'Feast of Lupercal' was celebrated in the honour of the Roman God of Fertility. This day falls on the 15th of February every year. According to a time worn custom, on the eve of Lupercalia (14th of February) a ritual of 'name drawing' was followed, during which a young man drew the name of a girl from the lot, who was to be his sweetheart for the whole year. Romance, has, of course always made the world go round but we must say that these Romans knew how to make it official.

Since then, this day (14th of February) has been considered as the day of Cupid, the mischievous son of Venus -the Roman Goddess of Love.

Lovers through the ages have taken this day as their own - a day to celebrate the finest human emotion. The reason for celebration is ageless, but it was much later that a great lover gave the day his name.

The eternal lover that gave us the famous word 'Valentine' and originated the tradition of writing love letters on this day, is believed to be Bishop Valentine. He was a priest in Rome when, the city was ruled by 'Claudius the Cruel'. Inspite of the fact that Claudius had forbidden Christian conversions and Christian marriages, the Bishop refused to surrender to Roman Gods and carried on his religious duties in secret. He was imprisoned for disobedience, but even in prison he converted the convicts.

While he was in prison, the jailer's daughter became his friend and was loyal to him through his ordeal. When Claudius came to know that imprisonment had not broken his enduring Christian spirit, the bishop was executed. However, on the day of his death Valentine wrote a note to his friend, 'the jailer's daughter' and signed it - 'From Your Valentine'.

This great man who died for his beliefs, for his enduring love of the Christian God, was chosen as the patron Saint of lovers. 14th February has since been celebrated as Valentine's Day.

Romantic souls all over the world have preferred to focus on the romantic twist of this tale, the story of the man who united lovers in the holy bond of marriage; a man who loved his jailer's daughter and started the tradition of writing love notes.

There is indeed, no lack of inspiration for believers in love and romance. Romantic significance of the 14th of February crosses human boundaries and enters the heart of nature - it was a popular belief in the olden times that the birds chose their mates on this day.

Be it the world of the winged lovers or those with their feet firmly on the ground and their thoughts in the clouds, the popularity of this holiday, among those young at heart proves that the heart does go on. So all you lovers and ' wannabe' lovers out there, rise in love (literally) and stake your claim.

To help you carry on the cherished tradition of celebrating your love, we are just providing new ways to cope with those exuberant, exhilarating and simply undeniable bursts of emotion.

Why not step up your energy levels this Valentine's! Be at your peak, especially if it's of a sexual nature, give yourself extra energy levels - or is it ego - a big boost! More...

Did you Know:
Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:

Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.