..all about Valentine's Day..

The History :

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? The history of Valentine's Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
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.

Love Quotes :

• Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies (Aristotle)
• Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage (Lao Tzu)
• Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires; To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully (Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet)
• The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart (Helen Keller)
• Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love (Leo Tolstoy)
• Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away (Dorothy Parker)
• I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other waythan this: where I does not exist nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep (Pablo Neruda)

from : http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine/