Valentine’s Day 2017 History and Tips: February 14 Falls On A Tuesday This Year

By Edwin Kee
Valentine's day
Red roses are pictured in a flower shop the day before Valentine's day in Vienna February 13, 2012. Photo: Reuters

Valentine’s Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day for those who are more formal, falls on February 14 every year in the Gregorian calendar as we know it. Of course, this is a celebration of love -- and many couples do take some time out to spend special moments with one another. Be prepared to fight for tables at fancy restaurants, as well as look your very best. Don’t forget overpriced roses for the occasion (or whatever flowers that your other half would like to have!), and if you have been dating her for quite some time already, with her expecting you for a greater level of commitment, perhaps it is time to figure out a proposal idea.

What is St. Valentine's Day?
Before we continue, here is a little bit of history concerning Valentine's Day. St. Valentine's Day kicked off not as a commercialized day like what we see and experience. Far from it. In fact, St. Valentine's Day had very humble beginnings, in the form of a liturgical celebration of one or perhaps more early Christian saints who carried the name Valentinus. Not much is known about St. Valentine, other than he being a priest in Rome. St. Valentine was martyred then in approximately AD 269, and was buried on the Via Flaminia. From there, it was basically fables and folk stories, with the most popular of them claiming he was a priest near Rome in the year 270 AD thereabouts. That was when the church of Jesus had to endure a great level of persecution. Valentine’s ministry back then? Assist the Christians in escaping such levels of persecution, as well as being a channel to deliver the sacraments that are important, with marriage as one of them. It seemed that the Roman Emperor Claudius II back then put a stop to marriages of soldiers, so that his army can grow, as he believed that married men did not have the mettle to perform on the battlefield.

The more modern version of Valentine's Day seems to deal with romantic love most of the time. Current Valentine's Day customs have evolved from its early days in modern England, where it spread further in the 19th century. Some of these customs that exist all the way until now include sending cards to one another, buying flowers for your loved one, or perhaps even chocolates to go hand in hand. In fact, paper Valentine cards ended up being extremely popular in England some time in the early 19th century, that these ended up on a factory assembly line.

With Valentine’s Day falling on a Tuesday this year, what are some of your options available to make it a memorable event? Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Book your dinner venue early in order to ensure the perfect spot.
2. Make all of your flower delivery arrangements earlier on, as florists will be swamped with orders leading up to Valentine's Day, they might not have time to handle last minute requests.
3. Make sure you have your lines rehearsed correctly if you are going to propose, and do not forget the ring when you leave the house!
4. Enjoy the dinner and be sensitive to the signs that your girl shows, and dance to the tune of the evening.
5. Laugh. A whole lot of laughter is always good medicine to offset any potentially disastrous moments.

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