All we need is Love

Make it straight to a womanʼs heart.

- Harry Sheridon & Elsa Lycias Joel

How many times do we reiterate the origins of Valentine's Day, the story of St Valentine, a Roman priest who was martyred on or around February 14 in the year 270 CE, and how he became the patron saint of lovers?

Most interesting is one ancient roman ceremony Lupercalia that included putting girls’ names in a box and letting the boys draw them out. Couples would then be paired off until the following year.

Later on, the church substituted saints’ names for girls’ names in hope that the participant would model his life after the saint whose name he drew. But since there wasn’t any participant, it was once again girls’ names that ended up in the box by the 16th century.

Heart-shaped paraphernalia in red and pink, roses, images and statues of cupids, and cupids’ bows and arrows symbolise the feeling of romance and love on Valentine’s Day. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow.

In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who fall in love are sometimes said to be ‘struck by Cupid's arrow’. However, the day specially marked focuses on love, romance, appreciation and friendship.

Eventually, the custom of sending anonymous cards or messages to those whom one admired became the accepted way of celebrating Valentine’s Day.