Valentine's Day Guide

Saint Valentine’s Day, usually shortened to "Valentine's Day," is the day for love and romance. It is the most romantic day in the year and it is the day when people across the world exchange candy, flowers, and gifts between loved ones. This holiday is celebrated all over the world, including Denmark, Slovenia, Costa Rica, Japan, and Egypt. Many of these place celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th, while other celebrate this holiday on another day in the year.

There is much debate over how this holiday developed. Why is this day called "Valentine's Day?" How has it come to be a day for celebrating love? One legend professes that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. Back then Rome was under the rule of Emperor Claudius the Second. The emperor decided that single men made better soldiers on the battlefield than those men who had wives and families. The emperor outlawed marriage for young men who were his primary source of potential soldiers. Priests across the empire were forbidden from conducting marriages. Valentine realized the injustice of the decree. He defied Emperor Claudius and he continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. He became well known among lovers for his bold actions. The priest had stood in defense of love and romance. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius condemned him and ordered that he be put to death. Since then, the martyred saint was venerated through the tradition of a feast held in his honor. The feast and celebration evolved into our modern day Valentine’s Day celebrations!

In the past, Valentine’s Day was most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of “valentines”. Before the 19th century, the most popular love notes were handwritten with symbols and heart shaped outlines, doves, and images of the Cupid. These notes were contained exquisite calligraphy and passionate poems. They were the historical equivalents of the Valentine’s Day gifts of our present day celebrations. It was only after 1847 that machine-printed greeting cards became popular. The sending of Valentine cards became very fashionable in nineteenth century Great Britain. Since then the greeting card industry witnessed quantum leaps in the volume of Valentine cards sold every year. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that more than one billion Valentines are sent each year worldwide! Today, along with greeting cards, Valentine’s Day witnesses the exchange many gifts. The most popular gifting novelties for Valentine’s Day are chocolate boxes, teddy bears, perfumes, and jewelery. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your loved ones and be sure to share and exchange plenty of gifts, greetings, and festivity!

Now that we know a little bit about how Valentine’s Day celebrations came to be, let us take a look at how Valentine’s Day is celebrated across the world. Different cultures and nations across the globe celebrate Valentine’s Day in different ways. In America, we are familiar with the exchange of cards and gifts between loved ones. Roses and chocolates are the most commonly exchanged Valentine’s Day gifts. Around 1980’s, fine jewelery became a very popular gifting choice. In Canada, the festival is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm. Valentine’s Day balls and parties are organized all over the country where people express their love for their spouses and sweethearts and there is always the exchange of gifts. In Canada, there is a tradition wherein children exchange Valentine’s Day gifts with their friends. Songs, skits, and plays are organized by schools to celebrate the joy of love.

In Australia, Valentine’s Day is a much-celebrated festival. People in Australia celebrate Valentine's Day festival and they use the opportunity to strengthen bonds of love with family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors with simple acts of love. In Britain, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a lot of cheerful enthusiasm and charm. People express their love for their beloved on this day by presenting them with flowers, cards, chocolates, and other special gifts. One wonderful custom they have is the singing of special songs by children. These children are rewarded with gifts of candy, fruit or money. In some regions delectable Valentine buns are baked with caraway seeds, plums or raisins. Another popular tradition is the penning of verses. Weeks before the festival, magazines publish sonnets and verses to honor Saint Valentine’s Day. The custom owes its origin to the poets of Britain who penned many best-loved romantic verses associated with Saint Valentine.

In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in an interesting manner on two different dates. One February 14th, women present gifts to their boyfriends or husbands. The favor is returned to ladies on the White Day which is celebrated on March 14th when men pamper women who gave them gifts a month before on Valentine’s Day. They gift a lot of chocolates and the special ones which are called “hon-mei” are meant for boyfriends, lovers or husbands.

In some countries, they have other days to celebrate love and romance. In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is “Dragobete” which is celebrated on February 24th. In Slovenia, the day of love is traditionally March 12th, also known as Saint Gregory’s day. In Brazil, the “Dia dos Namorados” which means “Day of the Enamored” is the day for love. It is celebrated on June 12th. It is also celebrated by exchanging gifts, chocolates, cards, and flower bouquets.

Valentine’s Day is a beautiful celebration of love and romance. It crosses all boundaries of nations, races, religions, and continents. It is a universal festivity for lovers across the globe to rejoice and celebrate their love. Cultures, traditions, and customs might differ but the language of love is common to all of mankind and Valentine’s Day celebrates just that.

The most important part of buying your loved one a ring is finding out what his or her ring size is. Many online merchants such as www.bluenile.com provide free plastic ring sizers, which are the easiest way to measure ring size. If you can't wait for one to ship and need one immediately, you can print out one here: Printable ring sizer. Of course, discrepancy is of the upmost importance when picking out jewelry to surprise your loved one. It would look odd, and plainly obvious, if you were to measure her ring finger in the middle of watching TV. Take a look in the jewelry box and pick out a favorite cocktail ring to approximate his or her ring size just to make sure you've got the right fit.

Also, keep in mind that many people have knuckles that have a greater diameter than the part of the finger that a ring may normally be worn. Be sure that the ring you get fits over your beloved's knuckles if this is the case.

The gem is the centerpiece of the ring. Pick one that reflects your love and the personality of the recipient. If your Valentine enjoys fancy dinners and luxury cars, she might love a 2 carat diamond ring on this special occasion. If your honey is a free spirited hippie who loves nature and everything to do with the environment, you would be hard pressed to find a better option than the unique and mysterious carnelian ring. These rings represent a oneness with nature. However, the range of gemstones, both precious and semi-precious, are wide and varied.

So what gem should you get? A diamond is a classic choice, but if you want to give an exceptional gift, a birthstone is both personal and special. Birthstones are a more modern and eclectic choice; a birthstone can add a unique flare to any engagement ring! If your loved one has peculiar tastes and shuns conformity, perhaps a ring with his or gemstone will bring a sense of intimacy.