Beginning of the Valentine's Day

The history of Valentine's Day dates back as early as the fourth century B.C. in the Roman Empire. The holiday was originally set aside to honor Juno, the queen of the god's and goddesses and the goddess of marriage. However, today, Feb. 14 is better known as the day we celebrate St. Valentine.

The tradition actually began in Rome with a festival on the eve of Feb 15, the day, which began the Feast of Lupercalia. At the festival, Roman girls name were put into a jar and then drawn by young Roman men to decide who would be their date for the continuing festival the next day. Sometimes the dates would turn into partnerships that would turn into marriage.

However, the Claudius II was the ruler of Rome at this time and was unpopular due to the bloody wars he fought. Many men ultimately did not sign up to fight because they didn't want to leave their wives and children to fight, so in retaliation, Claudius II banned the festival and marriages.

Most of the Romans disagreed with this decree. However, a priest by the name of St. Valentine began to perform marriages secretly. In a secret, quiet, candlelit room, just St. Valentine and the couple would participate in a marriage ceremony. To his detriment though, St. Valentine was discovered on night by a guard while performing the marriage ceremony, and was thrown into jail where he was sentenced to death.

Many young people, including the daughter of a guard, would visit St. Valentine while he was in jail to lift his spirits. St. Valentine was eventually killed but before he died he wrote the guard's daughter a letter thanking her for her frequent visits. He signed the letter, "Love from your Valentine." Since then, St. Valentine has become known as the "patron saint of lovers", and people all over the world observe the holiday as time to remind themselves of love and friendship.

The tale of Heer Ranjha

Heer Saleti was an extremely beautiful woman, born into a wealthy Jatt family.Ranjha, also a Jatt, is the youngest of four brothers and lives in the village 'Takht Hazara' by the river Chenab.Being his father's favourite son unlike his brothers who had to toil in the lands, he led a life of ease playing the flute ('Wanjhli'/'Bansuri').After a quarrel with his brothers over land, Ranjha leaves home.It is also believed that Ranjha left his home because his brothers' wives refused to give him food.

Eventually he arrives in Heer's village and falls in love with her. Heer offers Ranjha a job as caretaker of her father's cattle. She becomes mesmerised by the way Ranjha plays his flute and eventually falls in love with him. They meet each other secretly for many years until they are caught by Heer's jealous uncle, Kaido, and her parents Chuchak and Malki. Heer is forced by her family and the local priest or 'mullah' to marry another man called Saida Khera.

Ranjha was heartbroken. He was left to walk the quiet villages on his own until eventually he meets a 'Jogi' (ascetic). After meeting Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of the "Kanphata"(pierced ear) sect of Jogis, at 'Tilla Jogian' (the 'Hill of Ascetics', located 50 miles north of the historic town of Bhera, Sargodha District, Punjab (Pakistan)), Ranjha voluntarily became a Jogi, piercing his ears and renouncing the material world. Reciting the name of the Lord, "Alakh Niranjan", on his travels around Punjab, he eventually finds the village where he is reunited with Heer.

The two return to Heer's village, where Heer's parents agree to their marriage. However, on the wedding day, Heer's jealous uncle Kaido poisons her food so that the wedding will not take place. Hearing this news, Ranjha rushes to aid Heer, but he is too late, as she has already eaten the poison and died. Brokenhearted once again, Ranjha takes the poisoned Laddu (sweet) which Heer has eaten and dies by her side.
Heer and Ranjha are buried in a Punjabi town in Pakistan called Jhang, Punjab. Lovers and others often pay visits to their mausoleum.

The tale of Sohni Mahiwal

Sohni was the daughter of a potter named Tula, who lived in Gujrat town in the Punjab near the banks of the Chenab.As soon as the 'Surahis' (water pitchers) and mugs came off the wheels, she would draw floral designs on them and transform them into masterpieces of art.

Izzat Biag, a rich trader from Uzbekistan, came to India on business but when he saw the beautiful Sohni, he was completely enchanted. Instead of keeping 'mohars' (gold coins) in his pockets, he roamed around with his pockets full of love. Just to get a glimpse of Sohni, he would end up buying the water pitchers and mugs everyday.

Sohni lost her heart to Izzat Baig. Instead of making floral designs on earthenware, she started building castles of love in her dreams. Izzat Baig sent off his companions to Bukhara. He took up the job of a servant in the house of Tula, Sohni's father. He would even take their buffaloes for grazing. Soon, he came to be known as "Mahiwal"(buffalo herder).

When the people started spreading rumours about the love of Sohni and Mahiwal, without her consent her parents arranged her marriage with another potter.Suddenly, one day his "barat" (marriage party) arrived at the threshold of her house. Sohni was helpless and in a poignant state. Her parents bundled her off in the doli (palanquin), but they could not pack off her love in any doli.

Izzat Baig renounced the world and started living like a "faqir" (hermit) in a small hut across the river. The earth of Sohni’s land was like a dargah (shrine) for him. He had forgotten his own land, his own people and his world. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, when the world was fast asleep, Sohni would come by the riverside and Izzat Baig would swim across the river to meet her. He would regularly roast a fish and bring it for her. It is said that once, when due to high tide he could not catch a fish, Mahiwal cut a piece of his thigh and roasted it. Seeing the bandage on his thigh, Sohni opened it, saw the wound and cried.

From the next day, Sohni started swimming across the river with the help of an earthen pitcher as Izzat Baig was so badly wounded and could not swim across the river. Soon, the rumours of their romantic rendezvous spread. One-day Sohni’s sister-in-law followed her and saw the hiding place where Sohni used to keep her earthen pitcher among the bushes. The next day, the sister-in-law removed the hard baked pitcher and replaced it with an unbaked one. That night, when Sohni tried to cross the river with the help of the pitcher, it dissolved in the water and Sohni was drowned. From the other side of the river, Mahiwal saw Sohni drowning and jumped into the river and drowned as well.The Tomb Of Sohni In Shahdapur City Sindh, which is 75 km from (Hyderabad). According to the legend the bodies of Sohni Mahiwal were recovered from river Indus near Shahdapur and hence are buried there.

Difference between 'Friends' & 'Real Friends'

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about their problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument.
A real friend knows that it's not a friendship until after you've had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

A simple friend asks for food.
A real friend brings it along.

A simple friend will greet you with "Hello!"
A real friend will give you a warm hug.

A simple friend will call your parents as Uncle & Aunty.
A real friend will call them as Dad & Mom.

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend cries alongwith you.

A simple friend will eat at your dinner table and leave.
A real friend will spend hours there, talking, laughing and just being together.

A simple friend knows a few things about you.
A real friend could write a book with direct quotes from you.

A simple friend will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing.
A real friend will kick the whole crowds' ass that left you.

A simple friend would knock on your door.
A real friend will walk right in and say, "I'm home!".

Simple friends are for a while.
Real friends are for life.

Simple friends will ignore this.
Real friends will forward this.