I love you, loud & clear

It’s always special to love and be loved. Valentine’s Day is set aside for affection within family, friends and lovers.

Cupid is one of the most famous symbols of Valentine’s Day. Cupid is the god of love in Roman mythology. He is the son of Roman goddess Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Cupid is often depicted as a mischievous, little child with a cherubic face, golden curls and blue eyes. He has a pair of wings and always carries a bow and a quiver full of arrows ready to strike and pierce the hearts of his victims causing them to fall deeply in love. It is for this that Cupid has become associated with Valentine’s Day.

It is not hard to figure out the connection between the heart and Valentine’s Day. To a loved one, there is no symbol as important as the heart. To give someone one’s heart means to give that person your whole being. For people in love the heart is the center of all human emotions. It is unclear when the Valentine heart shape became the symbol of the heart. It is speculated that the heart symbol we use today as a sign of romance and love came from the early attempts by people to draw the pulsating organ they have never seen.

Roses are undoubtedly one of the most popular flowers in the world. Roses speak of love and are chosen by lovers as gifts. If you rearrange the letter of the word you get Eros, Greek god of love. Roses symbolize peace and war, love and forgiveness. There are formal meanings of different colored roses in some cultures. Each of these meanings is still used in our society today so you have to choose your color carefully.

Some examples are red roses mean "I love you;" red and white roses together mean unity; pink roses mean grace and gentility; yellow roses symbolize joy; orange or coral roses communicate your desire and white roses mean your sweetheart is heavenly. So what kind of message do you want to send to your sweetheart?

Other flowers also carry different meanings. Red chrysanthemums, tulips and carnations say "I love you." An elegant calla lily celebrates your lover’s splendid beauty. A lilac can only be sent one time in your life since it goes for your first love. Gardenia expresses a secret or untold love and violets express your affection.

It was thought that birds found their mates on this romantic day. This belief is still cherished by love- struck people around the world. Lovebirds signify this belief since it is said that they can’t live without their mates. Lovebirds are named because they sit closely together in pairs – just like what sweethearts do. A dove, in Christian belief, symbolizes purity, meekness and innocence. Unlike most animals which change partners, doves remain with the same partner all their lives. Doves and pigeons mate for life and are used as a symbol for "fidelity."

Ribbons and frills are associated with romance since the days of knighthood when a knight rode into battle with a ribbon or a scarf given by his fair lady. The dictionary traces the word "lace" from the Latin word meaning to "snare" or "noose." Lace is a pretty fabric made by weaving together fine threads. It has long been used to make women’s handkerchiefs. Hundreds of years ago, women carried lace handkerchiefs. If a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man nearby might pick it up and return it to her. Sometimes a woman might see a man she wanted to meet and would drop the lace handkerchief intentionally to encourage romance. Soon people thought of romance when they thought of lace and began using paper lace to decorate chocolate boxes and Valentine cards.

A lady’s hand was a favorite decoration that depicted "femininity." Its beauty was enhanced by adding a frilly cuff and a jeweled ring on the third finger. Clasped hands represent those of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and were used as symbols of the friendship between their countries of Germany and England.

Love knots have a series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no end. A symbol of everlasting love, love knots were made from ribbon or drawn on paper. On the other hand, young women in strict Muslim households used to send their pledges of love to young men through messages woven through the knots of a carpet in an Arab tradition. This tradition of sending messages through the knots gave birth to the concept of love knots that continues until this day.

A Valentine’s Day card is a sentimental or humorous greeting card you send to a family member, friend or sweetheart on this special celebration. Verses and Valentine greetings were popular since the Middle Ages when lovers spoke or sang to their special someone. Written Valentines began to appear after 1400. The oldest Valentine card in existence was made in the 1400s and can be seen at the British Museum in London. Paper Valentine cards were sent in Europe where they were given in place of Valentine gifts. The first Valentine cards were made by hand with colored paper, watercolors and colored inks.

Early manufactured cards were black and white pictures painted by factory workers. Fancy Valentine cards with paper lace introduced in the mid 1800s. By the end of the 1800s, Valentine cards were entirely made by machine.

But the best way still is to say I love you – live, loud and clear.