February 14 -The Day of Romance, Happy Valentine's Day

New Delhi, Feb 14 : This day comes only once in a year for all to express their feelings of love towards whom they hold him or her dearest in their heart.Any what more better way than to use flowery Urdu poetry to express one's feelings:“Mohabbat ko shabdo mai bayaan karna to mumkin nahimagar is prem divas par mohabbat karne walo koye shabdon ka nazraanaa pesh karne ki ek koshish humne ki hai”.(It's difficult to express one's feelings of love in words, but on this Day of Love, we have tried to offer a gift of words to those who have love in their hearts)Every February 14 around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.Just three words “ I LOVE YOU” are not enough for those who have experienced this feeling and are truly in love with someone. In fact, everyday is a Valentine's Day for them. But in this hectic world, we all do try to find some excuses and occassions to make our special one feel really special and 14th of february is the day when those, who have confessed their love, make big plans to cherish with their partners and those who are in love, but yet to confess, choose this day to express their feelings.“Mohabbat ka afsana to sirf nigaho se sunana haiagar tera dil kehta hai tujhe mohabbat hai kisi seto jaa mila nazren us se, aur keh de, aaj khud ko tujh mai khona haiyah tuje sadaa ke liye paana hai !”(One recites the story of love through eyes, if your heart says, you are in love with someone, then go - and swim deep in your lover's eyes, tell her, or him, that I want to either lose myself inside you, or shall try to gain you forever.)So even if you are the one who was waiting for the this day to express your feelings to your special one, then stop this thinking process now and come on - act, go and express, make this Valentine's Day ever special for yourself and the one you are in love with. We have been celebrating this day since long in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Here we take a look at the history of LOVE DAY:The history of Valentine's Day—and the story of its patron saint—is shrouded in mystery. It contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? 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. 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.Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor's daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270--others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Today, according to the Greeting Cards Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year.Thus the LOVE DAY is one of the most celebrated day around the globe. Love is an undefinable feeling , where someone becomes world to you, and just care love and concern exist, that person stays on to your mind 24x7 and his /her interest and happiness comes first to you than yours.“sagar kinare baith kar ishq ki kahaniyaan to tumne bahut suni hongi magar ishq ki kahaniyon mai vo nasha kahan? jo iske ehsaas mai hai agar hai dil mai jagah kisi ki, to sochna kya?Dikha himmat or dub jaa is sagar mai”(You may have heard stories of love sitting by the seashore, but the intoxication of love lies not in stories, but in feeling the beauty of love, If you have a place in your heart, then why wait and think? Show up your courage, and jump into the sea of love) Wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day!