The Round Up: Valentines Week

It was Valentines week not only on Almost1998, but for pretty much the whole world. Originally, Valentine's day was a celebration of early Christian saints named Valentinus. One of the most popular

accounts was St Valentine of Rome who was imprisioned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.

Valentine's day wasn't associated with romantic love until It wasn't until the High Middle Ages when courtly love began to flourish. In the 18th century, it evolved into lovers presenting flowers, offering confectionary and giving Valentines cards.

The true meaning of Valentines day isn't about whether you have a Valentines buying you chocolates, flowers or cards, as long as you have someone who loves you, that is a Valentine. It may well be a lover but it maybe a sister or a best friend p, someone who you love enough to want them to be your valentine. Valentines day has been commercialised into this big product placement for lovers to shower each other in gifts, to some degree that is flattering and some may express their love that way however that's not the only way. For most girls, a single rose would do just fine or a bar of their favourite chocolate, something to show you know them. If you and your friends what to go out for a meal on valentines day, it's not just because you compensating for a lack of a lover, it's because these are the people you love enough to spend Valentines day with.

Love comes in all shapes and forms which may not come under the stereotyped 'Valentine'. With this in mind, I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines day and just like St Valentine of Rome himself, I

sign out as,

"Your Valentine"