Valentine day, what is its origin? Any significancy to our time? Why red colors?
343115
During the Roman Empire, St. Valentine (one of the first Catholic saints) would marry couples under the Christian rites (forbidden at that time, reason for which he was martirized). That's why he's considered the saint associated with love. Feb. 14 is the date associated to him by the R.C.C.
460180
OK... there's the story that Don Jose de San Martin (Argentinian, who fought during the process of liberation from the Spanish colony) was going through some desert (dunes of Paracas, south of Lima) he was resting and had a dream about flamingos flying over him... of course we have flamingos in that area, so might have not being a dream... they say the red and white come from the color of the flamingos.\n\nNow... people also say that in fact the colors are red white red to remember the blood that was spilled fighting for our freedom (the white is the peace after liberation).\n\nWe have had through time different flags, but all of them red and white, only on different designs.\n\nInside of the flag you can see also our coat of arms, with the figure of a lama, a quinine tree and the cornucopia... to symbolize the richness of the three elements in our land, animal, vegetable (SP) and mineral.
95379
he first recorded association of St. Valentine's Day with romantic love was in the 14th century in England and France, where ****February 14 was traditionally the day on which birds paired off to mate.**** This belief is mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's Parlement of Foules (1381)\n\nIn the following century, one of John Lydgate's minor poems is "A balade made..in wyse of chesing loues at Saint Valentynes day" which indicates that the manner of choosing was drawing lots. By the 17th century a valentine was extended to the gift given, some pretty token.\n\nIt was common during that era for lovers to exchange notes on this day and to call each other their "Valentines". A 14th century valentine is said to be in the collection of the British Library. It is probable that many of the legends about St. Valentine were invented during this period.
109931
well..here it is..\n\nEveryone thinks they know the origin of Valentine's Day. According to the most commonly accepted story, Emperor Claudius of Rome issued a decree forbidding marriage in the year 271. Roman generals had found that married men did not make very good soldiers, because they wanted to return as quickly as possible to their wives and children-and they didn't want to leave them to fight the emperor's battles in the first place. So Claudius issued his edict that there should be no more marriages, and all single men should report for duty.\n \nA priest named Valentine deemed such a decree an abomination, and he secretly continued to marry young lovers. When Claudius learned of this extreme act of disobedience to his imperial command, he ordered the priest dragged off to prison and had him executed on February 14.\n \nFather Valentine, the friend of sweethearts, became a martyr to love and the sanctity of marriage, and when the Church gained power in the Roman Empire, the Holy See was quick to make him a saint.\n \nThe early Church fathers were well aware of the popularity of a vast number of heathen gods and goddesses, as well as the dates of observation of pagan festivals, so they set about replacing as many of the entities and the holidays as possible with ecclesiastical saints and feast days. Mid-February had an ancient history of being devoted to acts of love of a far more passionate and lusty nature than the Church wished to bless, and the bishops moved as speedily as possible to claim the days of February 14 through 17 as belonging to Saint Valentine, the courageous martyr to the ties that bound couples in Christian love.
2807
RED ... the color of passion. A very uplifting color.  Gives you energy.
115474
There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day.  Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.  He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries.  Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine".  Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius.  Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him.  In 496 A.D.  Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.
1137200
My dear friend, \nI learned what the color and relationship meaning of roses meant a long time ago. I would surely think you could look these up today, easily via the internet or to call a local flouriest.\nI recommend that you buy two of each of the flowers that you learn about, put them all together, and present to your loving parents. Include a card that explains the meaning of each pair of colors on a card and just let them absorb. After a weekend of privacy, they will surely be every so glad to see you and discuss all that happened. Hmmm, want to fill us in? God Bless you, such a sweet and thoughtful heart.
353
The origin of the popular Christmas colors red and green is speculated to be Italy, since the Italian flag's colors are red, green, and white and most of the Christmas traditions we have were usurped from early Pagan people of the 3rd Century.\n\nIn AD 274, Emperor Aurelian decreed December 25 as natalis solis invicti ("birth of the invincible sun"), a festival honoring the sun god Mithras known as Saturnalia. It had been celebrated by Pagans for centuries, but the emperor moved it to this later date.\n\nShortly thereafter, the Church Fathers likewise set the official date for celebrating the birth of Jesus as being December the 25th.\n\nThe Italians today commemorate Christmas for an entire month. Just as in the days of Pagan Rome with Saturnalia, the period between mid-December and early January is one constant celebration.\n\nRich Nativity scenes and the playing of bagpipes by the zampognari (shepards) are very important to the look and feel of Christmas in Italy.
116592
Its supposed to be the feast day of St. Valentine, an early martyr of the church.  I think it was Caligula who abolished the institute of marriage and Valentine felt obligated to marry people who were willing to question authority.\n\nThe modern CELEBRATION of Valentine's Day is an abomination brought about by the Corporate powers of Hallmark who noticed a sharp decline in sales between Christmas and Easter.  Their decision: to market an unrecognized feast day and the rest is history.
172271
Red because it can represent so many things. Love, passion, anger, chaos etc.
44803
Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire.  In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno.  Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses.  The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage.  The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.\n\nThe lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate.  However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing.  On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars.  Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose.  Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.\n\nUnder the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns.  Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues.  He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families.  As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.  The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II.  He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off.  He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270.  At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god.  On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.\n\nThe pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens.  And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.
149126
Hi.\n\nThere's plenty of information over this topic in various search engines.\nhttp://www.google.com/search?q=History+valentines+wikipedia&btnI=I%27m+Feeling+Lucky\nhttp://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=%2BHistory+valentines\nhttp://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=%2BHistory+valentines+wiki\nhttp://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=+site:dmoz.org+History+valentines\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result?p=History+valentines\nhttp://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=+site:answers.com+%2BHistory+valentines\nhttp://www.google.com/search?num=100&q=History+valentines+forum\nhttp://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=History+valentines&qtype=all&num=100&sort=qeprice%3AA%3AR%3Ad1\nhttp://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=History+valentines
1084604
Italians have meanings for the color of roses that they give. \nRed means love..romantic love.\nWhite means friendship=not romance.  \n\nCiao!
100218
The history of valentine's day is outlined here...\n\nhttp://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm
49365
In medieval times hoildays or in special days were printed in red ink on church calendars. The "red-letter days" were the really special ones. Any day remembered because it's important  to called a red-letter day no matter what color ink it's printed on your calendar.
1030358
Red--The color of love and passion
145205
If it's midnight or later on the 14th, it's Valentine's Day. \n\n(I suggest you invest in a clock and a calendar.)