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Valentines Day Beyond Lovers
Valentine's Day Festival has been associated with lovers since long but in present times the scope of the festival has grown beyond lovers to encompass just anyone and everyone we love. These days, people buy cards, flowers and gifts for their friends, spouse, parents, children, teachers or anyone they find dear and express their love and affection for them.
Those who can only link Valentine's Day with romantic couples will be surprised to know that children under the age of 11 are the biggest consumer of Valentine's Day greeting cards. Survey also reveal that maximum number of Valentine's Day cards sold are given to teachers followed by children, mothers, wives and last of all sweethearts.
Valentine's Day Celebrations Beyond Lovers
In some countries including Canada and US several schools organize classroom get together on Valentine's Day where children gift cards to their friends. Skits and concerts are also organized by children to mark the day. Senior children usually organize Valentine's Day dance parties where they freak out with their friends.
In some families children are encouraged to show love and affection to siblings and other family members on Valentine's Day. People say ‘I love you' to family members with flowers and other gifts. Such rituals help to generate positive feelings for each other and create happiness in family.
Singles who feel depressed on Valentine's Day for not having a partner to celebrate the romantic festival in much popularized manner must strive to make the most of the occasion by celebrating the day with friends or family members. They can express gratitude and affection to friends, colleagues and dear ones for their wonderful presence and support. Organizing single's party and inviting other friends who are single can be another great way of celebrating Valentine's Day beyond lovers.
Some people also like to celebrate Valentine's Day in a constructive manner by performing acts of charity. One can visit orphanage, old age home and hospitals and spend time with those who crave for attention and affection.
Valentine Day Massacre
Valentine's Day Massacre is the one of the most publicized incident of gang war slaying in the history. The gruesome incident was a fall out of the rivalry between two notorious criminal gangs of Chicago - the South Side Italian gang led by Al ‘Scarface' Capone and the North Side Irish gang led by George 'Bugs' Moran. Seven of Moran's men lost their life in the well planned out massacre that occurred on St Valentine's Day, February 14, 1929. The shoot out was highly publicized by the media and was much talked about in public but nobody was ever booked for the incident.
The cold-blooded Plan
Al Capone and his dreaded gang member Jack 'Machine Gun' McGurn devised the ghastly plan for the Valentine's Day massacre mainly to eliminate arch rival Moran. The idea was to trick Moran and his gang to visit a warehouse on North Clark Street on the pretext of buying some hijacked bootleg whiskey at cheap price. A team of six men led by Fred ‘Killer' Burke would enter the venue in the disguise of police officers and carry the shoot out. Capone and McGurn were to be away from the scene to establish their alibi.
The Massacre on Valentine's Day Morning
As per plan, around 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, February 14, 1929, Burke's men drove up to the garage of the S-M-C Cartage Company in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois in a stolen police car. Of the five shooters, two were in the police uniform and three in ordinary street clothes. Capone's men saw seven of Moran's gang members but not Moran himself. Shooters in police uniform ask Moran's gang members to line up facing the wall. Thinking that their captors to be relatively harmless policemen who have come to raid the place, the gangsters followed the instructions. Burke's shooters instantly shot and killed the men with Thompson submachine guns. Of the seven men killed in the massacre six belonged to Moran's gang - James Clark, Frank and Pete Gusenberg, Adam Meyer, Johnny May and Al Weinshank. Seventh man was an optician - Dr. Reinhardt Schwimmer who enjoyed the company of gangsters.
In order to leave without raising suspicion in the eyes of the possible witnesses, the men in street clothes marched out of the garage with their hands raised. Those in police uniform walked behind them, giving the appearance that the police caught the bootleggers and all was well.
Though the massacre was carried out just as planned, it missed the prime target Moran who was per chance late for the meeting. When Moran was about to reach, he saw the police car pulling up near the garage. Moran retraced to avoid being caught up in the raid.
Aftermath of the Massacre
Only Frank ‘Tight Lips' Gusenberg was found alive by the real police when it reached the crime spot. He too succumbed after arriving at Alexian Brothers Hospital. Gusenberg refused to name his attackers making the case more challenging for the investigating team who had to work extremely hard tracing the clues to establish the plan of the criminal. Prime suspect of the massacre, Al Capone and McGurn proved their alibi and shooters were never identified. Thus, in the absence of concrete proof nobody was ever punished for the dreadful Valentine's Day Massacre.
Consequences
The massacre was widely reported by the media which dubbed it as the "St. Valentine's Day Massacre". Ironically, rather than tightening noose against him, media glare helped Al Capone. The continuous front-page coverage provided him a celebrity status, establishing him as a supreme and dreadful gangster. On the other hand, the massacre resulted in the end of Moran's leadership in the North Side and his gang vanished into obscurity.
The incident, however, brought Capone's activities in the eyes of Federal Government and it began to keep a strict eye on him. Capone was at last convicted and imprisoned for seven years on income tax evasion charges in 1931. Capone died in Florida from Syphilis in 1947.
A year after the massacre, Fred Burke's house was raided by the police. In Burke's possession was found the tommy guns used in the Massacre. Though Burke was never brought to Illinois to be tried for the massacre, he was, sentenced to life for the killing of a policeman in Michigan.
The infamous massacre became the subject of the 1959 movie Some Like it Hot and Roger Corman's famous 1967 film The St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
Valentines Day for Singles
Romantic Valentine's Day festival is much awaited by those in love but dreaded by singles!! So much is the hype about the festival that some singles even become depressed about not having a partner several days before the festival when they see stores decorated with candies, chocolates and flowers to lure the one's in love. Some times the sense of isolation becomes so strong that many singles tend to “hate Valentine's Day” - the day that is actually meant to celebrate love.
Many single men and women go to the extent of calling Valentine's Day a ‘Singles Awareness Day'. This is because they feel that the day strongly reminds them of their unattached status and not having someone to spend the day in romantic and much popularized manner. Initials of the day ‘S-A-D' reflect their status of feeling depressed and unloved.
But dateless people must keep in mind that Valentine's Day is not just to be celebrated by romantically involved couples. The festival is celebrated to express love to anyone we are closed to. We can therefore celebrate Valentine's Day with friends, siblings, parents, grandparents, teachers or anyone who made a difference to our lives with their affection and support. We must take opportunity of the Valentine's Day festival to express our love and gratitude to all persons we love. And what better way to do so than by saying it with a gift of roses, chocolates and beautiful cards.
Singles can make the most of Valentine's Day by spending the day in the company of those they love or by indulging themselves with something luxurious. Here are some tips and ideas on how singles can celebrate the Valentine's Day in charming and memorable fashion:
Valentine's Day Ideas for Singles
Pamper yourself
Buy yourself cute Valentine's Day gifts which could be flowers, a cute teddy or a dress you have been planning to buy since long. Singles may also indulge themselves by going in for spa or head to toe beauty treatment. Indulging in books, CDs, and gourmet meals can be a good way of enjoying the day for some.
Freak out with friends
Plan out a dinner or movie with best friends. You may also throw a “singles party” or “Un-Valentine's Day Party” at your home and have a blast. You will know that life is fun in the company of loving friends.
Acts of Service
Singles can spend Valentine's Day in the meaningful way by spending time with the needy and downtrodden. You may visit an orphanage or old age home and spend time with the inmates there who are always in need of love and affection. Visiting hospitals and giving roses to sick can also be a touching way of experiencing bliss on Valentine's Day.
Express Gratitude for friends and dear ones
Instead of feeling depressed and ashamed for not having a significant other to spend the day, singles can spend Valentine's Day in a constructive manner by expressing love and affection for people around them. One can thank and greet Valentine's Day to one's parents, friends, colleagues, neighbors or anyone dear.
Think Positive
Singles can make the most of Valentine's Day by thinking positive and fighting away Valentine's Day blues. One should not spend the day sulking for not having a spouse or beloved to spend the day in a happy manner.
Focus on Relationship Plan
Singles can focus on their relationship plan on Valentine's Day and prepare themselves for healthy and lasting relationships. One can take help of dating and matrimonial sites to find a partner. Also make a list of what you can do to improve your personality. It could be developing a more healthy and positive approach towards life or working towards one's diet, health and physical appearance. Take steps you think are vital to improve your chances for relationship. Make some resolutions for yourself and stick to them.
Valentines Day for Lovers
Valentine's Day festival holds immense importance for those in love. Lovers around the world anxiously wait for the festival as it gives them an opportunity to express love for their beloved and spend a day in togetherness. Celebrating the festival in a traditional manner lovers go out for date in a park or spend time looking into the eyes of their partners over a candlelight dinner. Indulging sweethearts with fresh flowers mainly red roses, chocolates, cards and other gifts of love is the other most popular custom of Valentine's Day for lovers.
Historic Association of Valentine's Day with Romantic Love
Ever since its inception Valentine's Day has been associated with romantic love. Valentine's Day originated in pagan times when people celebrated February 14 in honor of Roman God of Fertility. This fertility festival coincided with beginning of the spring and was popularly known as the Feast of Lupercalia.A popular custom of this festival was pairing of young boys and girls for a year through a lottery system. The couples would eventually fall in love and marry.
Another story that linked Valentine's Day festival to the day of romance goes back to the reign of Emperor Claudius II of Rome. A hardhearted king, Claudius constantly engaged Rome in bloody battles. Claudius found it tough to get soldiers for his army and felt that the reason why many men are not willing to become soldiers was their attachment with wives and families. In order to get rid of the cause of the problem perceived Claudius banned marriages and engagements in Rome. Young men and women found a savior in Saint Valentine, who defied Claudius's decree and arranged secret marriages. Valentine's act of defiance was noticed and he was put to death by Claudius on February 14 circa 270 AD. Later, when Christianity spread through Rome, Christian Church decided to turn the popular pagan event as a Christian celebration in honor of St Valentine. St Valentine's Day festival gradually came to be celebrated as a day to express love for sweethearts.
Besides, during the Middle ages, people in England and France believed that February 14 marked the beginning of birds mating season. This belief further boosted the idea that February 14 should be celebrated as a day for romance.
Valentines Day Celebration by Lovers
Elaborate plans are made by lovers to celebrate Valentine's Day festival in the much-popularized romantic fashion. For some lovers the day begins by whispering ‘I love you' in the ears of beloved. The romantic gesture is usually accompanied with an exchange of red roses, chocolates, cards and other gifts. Most lovers plan to spend the entire day in the company of their beloved and celebrate being in love. All around the city, be it parks, mall, restaurants or discotheques one can find couples celebrating the idea of being in love. Such lovey-dovey celebrations often continue till late in the night as several clubs and hotels organize Valentine's Day balls and dance parties. Those away from their Valentine keep in touch through e-mails and phone. Sending online Valentine's Day gifts is fast becoming a fad amongst lovers separated by a distance.
Though one may say that love is to be celebrated everyday and not just one, lovers cherish the fact that there is exclusively a festival that celebrates love and lovers and provides opportunity to pamper their beloved with love.
Valentines Day in Present Times
Valentines Day in present times has become a huge craze especially amongst the youth in countries around the world. Those in love start planning for the Valentine's Day celebrations with sweetheart days before the festival while those without a lover start looking for a date so that they are able to celebrate the day in the much-romanticized manner. Hype for the festival is further built up by the media and the rigorous advertising campaign run by the cards and gifts marketers.
Euphoria in the Markets
Euphoria for Valentine's Day can be felt days before the festival when the market places start exuding the spirit of the romantic festival. Shops selling cards, flowers and other romantic gifts can be seen decked with Valentine's Day symbols of hearts, cards, rose and cupid. In modern times, jewelers too, try to lure lovers with attractive schemes and bold displays of innovate and eye-catching jewelry. Florists, who get their best business in this time of the year, lure customers with big and beautiful bouquets of exotic flowers.
Frantic shopping by the Lovers
Big hype and euphoria for the Valentine's Day festival has made the occasion a multi-million dollar industry. The festival has turned out to be the biggest card-selling holiday after Christmas in US as youngsters prefer to buy not just one but several cards for their sweetheart and also for their parents, teachers, siblings, friends and other loved ones. Of course the festival is not just restricted to cards in the present consumerist society. People also buy loads of chocolates that come in Valentine's Day special romantic packing besides big bouquets of flowers, in spite of the fact that prices of flowers sky rocket on Valentine's Day because of the huge demand. Other popular Valentine's Day gifts include shirts, wallets and perfumes for men and jewelry, jewelry boxes, stuffed toys and romantic show pieces for women. Though most Valentine's Day cards and gifts are delivered by hand those separated by a distance from their beloved on Valentine's Day chose to express their love by sending gifts through various Valentine's Day gift shopping sites. Online shopping on Valentine's Day has therefore turned out to be a big business in modern age of technology.
Romantic and Platonic Celebration of Valentine's Day
In present times, Valentine's Day is not restricted to romantic couples. The festival has come to be known as the day to celebrate love that can be in any form. People therefore take opportunity of the occasion to wish ‘Happy Valentine's Day' to their friends, parents, siblings, teachers or anyone they consider special. Children too celebrate Valentine's Day by organizing concerts and classroom get-togethers.
Valentine's Day Parties and Celebrations
The most popular way of celebrating Valentine's Day is to go for a romantic date with sweetheart. One can find parks and restaurants thronged by lovers holding hands and expressing love. Valentine's Day special parties are also organized by hotels and discotheques to give the lovers an opportunity to celebrate. These days, romantic getaways are turning out to be extremely popular way of celebrating Valentine's Day.
Criticism of Valentine's Day in Present Times
While most people go out of their way to celebrate the day of love and romance, there are many that are very much against the festival. Some feel there is no reason to celebrate love on one particular day as love is to be cherished on all days of the year. People are also very much against the excessive commercialization of the festival. In several countries such as India, womenfolk experience the trauma of eve teasing on the day. Several societies are very much against the festival as they feel it is the ploy by multinationals to impose western cultures on conservative eastern world.
In spite of the mounting criticism, the popularity of Valentine's Day festival is increasing by the year as people to not wish to miss the opportunity to express and celebrate love.
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