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Valentine's Day
 February 14, Valentines Day, Canada, Europe, USA. Its a sweetheart day. Some people have connected it with Lupercaliaa Roman festival that was celebrated on the February 15 for the god of fertility. I doubt that because as you know,if we learned anything in the 20 century, it was improvisations in history: If you dont know something, contemplate and you can make the history.
 Anyway, the story of Valentines day is only a story, not facts: One story goes like this:
Every February, across the country, candy, 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 holiday?
 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 -- his crop of potential soldiers. 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, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. 
One interesting story is when the church tried to change this sweetheart day to a religious holiday of a different sort, and asked people instead of throwing name of a girl or a boy in the basket, throw a name of a saint. Then whoever drew that name should try to imitate the virtues of that saint. It didnt work. Since the 1800s it became as commercially successful as Christmas.
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