{"id":851,"date":"2020-01-27T09:00:42","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T09:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandtoncentral.co.za\/blog\/?p=851"},"modified":"2020-07-30T09:05:25","modified_gmt":"2020-07-30T09:05:25","slug":"all-things-valentine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandtoncentral.co.za\/blog\/all-things-valentine\/","title":{"rendered":"All things Valentine"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know that February has long been celebrated as the month of romance, where candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones. St. Valentine\u2019s Day as we know it, contains traces of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who is this mysterious Saint Valentine?<\/p>\n

Who was St. Valentine?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The popular belief around St. Valentine is that he was a priest from Rome in the third century. Emperor Claudius II had banned marriage because he believed married men made bad soldiers. Valentine thought this was unfair and arranged marriages in secret. Claudius found out, and Valentine was sentenced to jail and later to his death. While in jail, he fell in love with the jailer\u2019s daughter, and when he was taken to death, he wrote her a letter signed with \u201cfrom your Valentine\u201d.<\/p>\n

How did Valentine\u2019s Day start?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This day is an ancient tradition, thought to have originated from a Roman festival called Lupercalia<\/strong><\/a>. It\u2019s been held in the middle of February when their springtime started. At the festival, boys drew names of girls from a box as part of their festivities. They\u2019d be boyfriend and girlfriend for the day, and sometimes, later on, got married. The church wanted to turn the festival into a Christian celebration, and it became a remembrance of St. Valentines too. Since then, St. Valentine\u2019s name started to be used by people to express their love for others.<\/p>\n

Celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day is around the corner and falls on a Friday this year, which means it could turn out as Valentine\u2019s weekend. Because this is an annual celebration and most people do the same for their partners every year, this year we want to encourage you to do something different. Instead of giving a gift this year, rather give an experience. Experiences last forever and are much more treasurable than gifts. Ladies, you do know its leap year, right? (wink-wink)<\/p>\n

So, each year you and your partner go to a pre-booked restaurant, enjoy a Valentine\u2019s meal and exchange gifts. It\u2019s cute but can become somewhat monotone. There are better and more fun ways to celebrate your love. We\u2019re giving you an idea of an example of the best Valentine\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n