chaitanya, I enjoyed the paper you sent me on your contry, India.

I am sending youa paper on a holiday called Valentines Day. Doy you celebrate Valentines Day too.

THE ORIGINS OF VALENTINES DAY

By: Philip
Every February 14th, people across the United States and in other countries celebrate Valentines Day by exchanging candy, flowers, and gifts not by just any ordinary people, but loved ones and all of it in the name of ST. Valentine. We do know that February has been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains parts of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition for a long time. The Catholic Church recognizes three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were killed. 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, because of that he outlawed marriage and engagements for all young men. Valentine ignored Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he should be put to his death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where many beaten and tortured. Today for Valentines Day we exchange candy, flowers, chocolate, and cards for the ones who we love. One symbol of Valentines Day is Cupid. The love and attraction that a man and a lady feels for one another is traditionally ascribed to the mythological god whose name is Cupid. In Latin, the word Cupid means "desire." Cupid is represented as a chubby boy with wings. He carries a bow with a quiver of arrows which he uses to transfix the hearts of young men and young ladies so they love each other.

Another symbol of Valentines Day is a heart. It was formerly believed that the heart was the place of where all human emotions are. Accordingly, the gifting of a heart signified the selfless acts of giving everything to someone you love. Although the ancients were not aware that the heart was responsible for pumping blood through the system, yet they knew one thing for sure that the heart was the center of all feelings.