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Has Santa promised to bring you a red hot rose and a chocolate-filled <keyword id="24479" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="heart">heart</keyword> this Valentine’s Day? No, we have not mixed up Christmas with <keyword id="4167782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="V-day">V-Day</keyword>. Santa might be sitting out of V-day (the grumpy old soul), but that’s no reason why we should not have an <keyword id="2046986" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Old-Father-Valentine">Old Father Valentine</keyword> or an <keyword id="2046987" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Old-Mother-Valentine">Old Mother Valentine</keyword> bringing us what our hearts desire. 
 Although <keyword id="4171139" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="February-14">February 14</keyword> has been traditionally earmarked as the day to celebrate <keyword id="411749" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Romantic-love">romantic love</keyword> and <keyword id="2046991" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Couplehood">couplehood</keyword> with gifts of <keyword id="5823" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flowers">flowers</keyword>, <keyword id="25282" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="chocolates">chocolates</keyword> and V-Day cards (we are not ruling out diamonds or the gift of a remote island if your beau’s pocket suits it), you will be surprised to find how the legends and practices vary from country to country and from culture to culture. 
 To begin with, there is the most popular notion that <keyword id="560286" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saint-Valentine">Saint Valentine</keyword> was a <keyword id="51197" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="priest">priest</keyword> who lived in <keyword id="6356059" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rome">Rome</keyword> in the third century. When <keyword id="2046992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Emperor-Claudius-II">Emperor Claudius II</keyword> outlawed marriage for young men to turn them into better soldiers, the kind-hearted priest still performed the weddings in secret till the time he was caught and put to death for defying the emperor. Another version suggests that he was executed for helping the Christians escape from Roman prisons. It is also said that the captive priest fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and wrote her a last letter before his death that said – From Your Valentine. 
 
These are, no doubt, most touching tales and stir up our passion for love, friendship and camaraderie. But before we get all soft and mushy, here are 7 fun facts and oddments from all over the world that will spice up your V-Day this year. 
 
Will Santa sue <keyword id="2046984" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jack-Valentine">Jack Valentine</keyword>? Yes, he may, if what is happening in <keyword id="86049" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Norfolk">Norfolk</keyword> goes viral. In this county in the East of England, Jack Valentine brings gifts and candy for kids and fancy presents for grown-ups. He leaves those on the doorstep, knocks and then disappears. Sounds a lot like Santa? Well, almost. Only he/she happens to be a close friend or a friendly neighbour who wants to make your day. But we firmly believe in the myth of Jack Valentine and here’s what one BBC writer has to say, “I hope Jack Valentine got a good lawyer. I love Jack dearly, but when Santa finds out what he’s up to, there’s going to be trouble! Let’s face it – turning up out of thin air once a year, leaving presents and disappearing without a trace – it’s the same act. It’s a lawsuit just waiting to happen.” 
 
 
 
Not a Saint’s day… it’s a <keyword id="2046997" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pagan-festival">pagan festival</keyword>, folks. And dates back to Roman times, according to some experts. It has probably evolved from the Feast of Lubercus or the <keyword id="2046999" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Festival-of-Lupercalia">Festival of Lupercalia</keyword> that originated in third century Rome and took place every year on February 15. At that time, it was a kind of thanksgiving to <keyword id="2046985" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="God-Lupercus">God Lupercus</keyword> who protected shepherds and their flocks of sheep from hungry wolves roaming outside the city of Rome. During Lupercalia, <keyword id="2047000" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Goddess-Juno">Goddess Juno</keyword> was also worshipped and young people chose their partners for the festival by drawing names from a box. But the <keyword id="2046998" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Roman-festival">Roman festival</keyword> went out of fashion when Christianity became prevalent and in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius changed the Lupercalia festival of February 15 to <keyword id="2047001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saint-Valentines-Day">Saint Valentine’s Day</keyword> on February 14. 
 
 
 
What’s V-Day got to do with birds mating, agriculture? It’s <keyword id="20721" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="romance">romance</keyword> time for your winged <keyword id="343" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Friends">friends</keyword> – that’s what the people of <keyword id="6373167" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Slovenia">Slovenia</keyword> believe. As per the old European belief, birds choose their mates on February 14 and this might have led to the idea that young people should do the same. Interestingly, the earliest description of the Valentine’s Day tradition occurs in Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules, composed around 1380, which takes place “on Seynt Valentynes day,/Whan every foul cometh there to chese (choose) his make (mate).” In Slovenia, they also say that <keyword id="217334" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="St-Valentine">St Valentine</keyword> brings the keys of roots and the V-Day is the day when plants and flowers start growing. That’s why February 14 is the first day of the year when work begins in the fields. Also, St Valentine, locally known as Zdravko, is considered the patron saint of beekeepers in this part of Europe. Earlier, March 12 or Saint Gregory’s Day was considered the day of love and the first day of spring until the V-Day took over. 
 
 
 
In <keyword id="6355311" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Japan">Japan</keyword>, <keyword id="2047006" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="V-Day-chocolate">V-Day chocolate</keyword> is not that sweet. What the heck! If you are a woman and in Japan, chances are you are buying loads of ‘<keyword id="2047008" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Obligation-chocolate">obligation chocolate</keyword>’ and paying out of your own pocket. Traditionally, only <keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women">women</keyword> buy the gift of chocolate on February 14 and different types at that, depending on the nature of the relationship. So you buy <keyword id="2047009" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Giri-choko">giri-choko</keyword> or ‘obligation chocolate’ for <keyword id="74643" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="bosses">bosses</keyword>, <keyword id="580180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="co-workers">co-workers</keyword>, <keyword id="1307041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="male-friends">male friends</keyword> and casual acquaintances, and <keyword id="2047010" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Honmei-choko">honmei-choko</keyword> or sweetheart chocolate for boyfriends, <keyword id="6374759" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="lovers">lovers</keyword> or <keyword id="64920" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="husbands">husbands</keyword>. But don’t feel too bitter about it. The <keyword id="2047018" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="White-Day">White Day</keyword> on March 14 is the time when the Japanese males reciprocate and come up with return gifts which are at least two or three times more valuable than the V-Day gifts they have received from the women. But what if you get a present of equal value? It means the romance is over. 
 
 
 
Too many love-days in <keyword id="5565" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="South-Korea">South Korea</keyword>. You got it right – romance days are just too many in this Asian country. It starts with the traditional Valentine’s Day on February 14 and here, too, women buy chocolate and candy for the men. But just like Japan, the White Day on March 14 sees the men buying gifts for the women (this kind of gift exchange is a nice tradition, we must say). Wait, there’s even more. There’s the <keyword id="80230" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Black-Day">Black Day</keyword> on April 14 when heartbroken singles (those who never got any gift) flock to local Chinese eateries, sympathise with each other and express their sorrow by eating <keyword id="2047019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jajangmyeon">jajangmyeon</keyword> or black noodles – a noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made of black soybean paste (hence the name). Next up on the calendar is <keyword id="2047020" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pepero-Day">Pepero Day</keyword> (named after a <keyword id="2047024" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Korean-cookie-stick">Korean cookie stick</keyword> dipped in compound chocolate) on November 11. With so many days to celebrate, gift-giving expands to a really wide circle of friends, <keyword id="22378" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="family">family</keyword>, <keyword id="50724" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Colleagues">colleagues</keyword> and pretty much everyone you know. So chances are no one will have to eat ‘black noodles’ this year for lack of companionship. 
 
 
 
 
No V-Day in <keyword id="6355226" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Brazil">Brazil</keyword>? Don’t be shocked. What we mean is Brazilians don’t celebrate it on February 14 like the rest of the world does. Brazil celebrates its day of romance on <keyword id="2047027" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="June-12">June 12</keyword> and it is called <keyword id="2047025" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dias-dos-Namorados">Dias dos Namorados</keyword> or the Day of the Enamoured. The rituals are the same, though, as people exchange chocolates, flowers and other gifts. But the next day, there is even a bigger celebration as <keyword id="2047026" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saint-Anthonys-Day">Saint Anthony’s Day</keyword> is observed on <keyword id="1077344" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="June-13">June 13</keyword> and <keyword id="56152" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Single-women">single women</keyword> perform various rites in a bid to find great life partners. <keyword id="2047028" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saint-Anthony">Saint Anthony</keyword> is known in Portugal, Spain and Brazil as a marriage saint because he used to reconcile couples. And his feast day on June 13 is celebrated with gala parades and colourful marriages that no one is likely to forget. 
 
 
 
<keyword id="2047029" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vinegar-valentines">Vinegar valentines</keyword> – try them out. 
Want to flush some people out of your life? Do it this V-Day. One way of doing it is tear up their photographs and shout abuse on the phone, à la Jab We Met movie. But why don’t you look up some vinegar valentines, also known as <keyword id="2047032" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hate-valentines">hate valentines</keyword> or <keyword id="2047033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Penny-dreadfuls">penny dreadfuls</keyword>? They are nothing but elaborate Valentine’s Day cards with a twist – featuring <keyword id="620955" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="caricatures">caricatures</keyword> and satirical verses/messages that can make the heart burn in the wrong way. This curious tradition started around 1840-1850 and continued till the 1940s. In fact, they became so popular at one point that they accounted for more than 50% of <keyword id="2046990" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="V-Day-card">V-Day card</keyword> sales. But the tradition died a slow death and the V-Day has become syrupy sweet nowadays. Still, if you would like to send in some <keyword id="2047036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Caustic-V-Day-greetings">caustic V-Day greetings</keyword>, you may just find some vintage cards online. 
 
 
 
Images: Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images

Celebrating V-Day: 7 Legends, Myths & Fun Facts You Will Love To Explore

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insider's Caroline Aghajanian is working from home in California during the coronavirus pandemic.</li><li>She's tested <keyword id="133641" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="DIY">DIY</keyword> under eye masks made from kitchen ingredients to reduce dark circles and puffiness. </li><li>The verdict: the potato mask was the most effective in reducing dark circles.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>. Caroline Aghajanian: This is just what I imagined I would be doing today. Oh! Well, oh, no. Oh. Hi, everyone. I am currently working from home and filming some videos here during this pandemic. I am sending a lot of love to all of you guys. While I'm home, I've been thinking about a few <keyword id="6354629" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="beauty">beauty</keyword> regimens I can try, and maybe you can too. This week, I'm testing a few at-home solutions to removing dark under-eye circles. I believe I have dark circles. I don't get as much sleep as I should, and I'm glaring at a screen 90% of the day. So, I found a variety of DIY under-eye masks that I can make from kitchen ingredients that people claim reduces puffiness and dark under-eye circles and overall adds hydration back to the under eyes. I know right now finding and getting ingredients might be kind of tough, so I picked a variety of remedies, and for a lot of these, you might already have everything you need. This is just a one-day test. I know results can vary if you try it for multiple days or twice a week. But I am only judging by one day and one try. So, let's see what's in the kitchen. OK, so, the first mask is an avocado and aloe vera mask that I saw from a few sites and blogs. The only ingredients you'll need are avocado and aloe vera gel. I found this 99% aloe vera gel from Whole Foods, but if I didn't find it, I was going to stick to some after-sun gel with aloe that I had from last summer. From my research, I found that avocados are filled with a ton of vitamins and minerals, like vitamin E, that can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. An avocado's natural oils can also soften, nourish, and hydrate the skin. While we're most familiar with aloe vera for sunburn relief, this gel can also help with acne and dry skin. Some benefits of aloe vera around the eyes include reducing swelling and puffiness. I cut a quarter of an avocado and mixed it with a quarter cup of aloe vera. Some recipes say to do 1 teaspoon of each, but it all depends on how much you want to make. It has, like, a nice consistency. It's not, like, watery, so it won't kind of drip off my eyes, let's hope. But let's do it. Wow, it feels so cooling. I cleaned it up a bit with my fingers and tried to spread the mask out more evenly, especially in the corner of my eyes, where it's super dark. Then I left it on for about 20 minutes. Should we make some guac? Some dip? At first, when you put it on, it's very cooling, but then now I feel just a slight tingle underneath my eyes. That could be from the aloe vera, or it could be from the avocado, but it's not painful. It's not, like, burning. But I can imagine if you have more sensitive skin than I do, you have to do, like, a test patch on your skin before you want to put it on your under eyes. Or keep it on for just a less amount of time. So, the mask stayed on my skin and wasn't as messy as I thought it would be. I removed it with a napkin, then washed it off with warm water. Afterwards, my under eyes felt very soft. It didn't work wonders on my dark circles, but my under eyes definitely looked and felt softer and more hydrated. Today, I'm trying a cucumber and rose water mask. For this mask, I needed some cotton rounds, and these will come in handy for other masks too. Cucumbers can help de-puff under eyes and soothe irritation. They're also about 96% water, so they add a lot of hydration to the skin. Rose water has anti-inflammatory properties and can soothe skin irritation. Also, rose water smells so good, and the aroma can help reduce stress. A few websites had a similar recipe that said to mix 1 teaspoon of minced cucumber with 1 teaspoon of rosewater. I first tried to put the cucumber in a slicer, but that didn't really get it into tiny pieces, so I sliced it up the old-fashioned way. Then I cut the cotton round in half, dipped it into the mixture, and placed it under my eyes for 10 minutes. Aah! Uh-oh. Oh, no. I don't like this. Aah! I actually had to lie down to keep them on, which I didn't mind, but it was still a mess. It did feel very cool and soothing under my eyes and smelled amazing. Ooh. Oh, that's hyd...that's, like really hydrated. That's very soft. So, next time I probably will just take a cucumber and slice it into big pieces and spray that with rose water and put that under my eyes. I might still have to lay down for that, 'cause the cucumbers will fall off, but I feel like it would be less messy than this. But I love the way it makes me feel. I feel, like, very awake, so that's good. Potato day! All you need for this one is one potato. This is one of the easier ones to try. You just slice the potato into thin half-moon pieces. I had to try a few times to get thinner pieces that'll stick to my face. You can also blend the potato, but after my cucumber mess, I decided slices are way easier. Potatoes are filled with minerals and have a lot of vitamin C. One of the main benefits of potatoes is reducing eye bags and dark circles. Booyah! Leave them on for about 20 minutes. I was lying down while doing this, and for a few minutes I applied the extra pieces on my eyelids, and, wow, this was so relaxing. Wow. Nice! Way to go, potatoes. Once I removed the potatoes, I instantly saw an improvement in my dark circles and the texture of my under eyes. So far, this is my favorite method because it was clean, easy, and it worked. Day four, coffee time! The ingredients you'll need for this mask are honey and soft ground coffee. There are actually a ton of videos of people who tried this coffee and honey mask, so I thought I'd give it a go. First, you mix a teaspoon of soft ground coffee and a teaspoon of honey together. I first tried mixing with a brush, but clearly this isn't the best brush for it. So I was able to mix them together with a spoon. Coffee is used in skin treatments for exfoliation, but it can also reduce wrinkles and puffiness and helps with inflammation. Honey is known to have antibacterial properties and can prevent wrinkles and fine lines. This mask wasn't as cooling as the other ones, probably because I'm using room temperature ingredients. For me, I definitely prefer some of the colder ones. Wow. This went on a lot easier than I thought. As if I didn't have dark under eyes before. I will say, it kind of feels like a very thick paste. I don't feel the fine coffee grounds, and it's not as sticky as honey, so I think the combination works really well together. It doesn't feel like glue on my face or anything. It just feels like a paste. And you have to be careful the paste doesn't fall. They kind of look like a Kylie Lip Kit. After 20 minutes, I used damp cotton rounds to carefully remove the mask. It came off a lot easier than I anticipated. I washed my face to make sure everything was off, and this is what my eyes looked like. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with the results for this one. My under eyes looked the same and didn't feel any different. On day five, I tried a green tea and rose hip oil mask that I saw in a YouTube video by Spankie Valentine. All you need is a green tea bag, rose hip oil, and cotton rounds again. If you don't have rose hip oil, you can still try this mask without it. So, online, I've read that you can use the teabags cold or warm. Obviously, don't burn yourself. But cold teabags can help reduce dark circles, shrink eye bags, and soothe red eyes and irritation, especially green tea. Rose hip oil is a natural vitamin source and can stimulate collagen production and elasticity. And I definitely think I need that under the eyes. It also hydrates and moisturizes the skin. First, you steep the green tea, then mix it with a few drops of rose hip oil. In the video, she opened up the green tea bag and added the actual tea leaves in there, so I did the same. Then take two halves of a cotton round and dip that in the cup. I drained the water and made sure I got a lot of tea leaves onto the cotton round. Cool for 20 minutes, then apply. OK, I'm just gonna... [laughs] I'm just gonna soak it here. I have lost it. I am a mess. Great. Huh. Oh! Well, oh, no. Oh, dear. How did she have it on? Ah! Oh. Oh, darling, you're gonna stick on that eye. How marvelous. The wet tea leaves felt pretty itchy and irritating under my eyes. After 15 or 20 minutes, I removed the patches by wiping my eyes with damp cotton rounds. They came off right away, then I rinsed my face. As for the results, my dark circles that day were pretty bad, I think worse than the previous days, so seeing the after pictures, I feel like the mask helped reduce some of the dark circles. Honestly, a good alternative is just steeping two teabags, cooling, and placing under or over your whole eye. I once had an irritated eye and did this trick, and it helped reduce the irritation, so that's an easy bonus trick. And last, but not least, I tried a buttermilk turmeric eye mask that I saw DIY queen Farah Dhukai do. Turmeric has a ton of benefits, including lightening pigmentation, reducing wrinkles, and minimizing UV damage and breakouts. I didn't have buttermilk, so I made my own by mixing milk with white vinegar. Buttermilk contains lactic acid, which can gently exfoliate, improve pigmentation, and remove fine lines. Careful not to add too much turmeric, because it can stain. Wow, this was an easy application. It feels so good. I can actually feel, like, the calmness of the brush with this mask because it's so liquid-y. It's not as drippy as I thought it would be. It was really easy to get those dark corners with this mask and brush. I feel like I can meditate with this mask on. I think the turmeric is, like, helping my sinuses. Anyway, wow, I am actually very surprised that this mask isn't, like, dripping off. I left it on for about 15 minutes. At first it felt a bit tingly, but as the mask dried, that feeling went away. The cold milk underneath my eyes was incredibly soothing. Then I easily wiped it off with the damp cotton rounds. My skin was a bit stained, but that went away after a few minutes. While it's a bit hard for me to tell, I think this mask helped with the texture of my under eyes and the fine lines more than the dark circles. But I'll take it. There you go. These DIY masks were super fun to try. The potato mask was my favorite because I instantly saw brightening results under my eyes. It was also the easiest one to make and apply. The turmeric and buttermilk mask was a close second because it improved some of my fine lines and was very soothing under the eyes. Let me know what other suggestions you have in the comments below and which mask is your favorite. Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/diy-under-eye-masks-using-home-ingredients-dark-circles-2020-3">Insider</a>

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Celebrating V-Day: 7 Legends, Myths & Fun Facts You Will Love To Explore

Sanghamitra Mandal

We tried 6 under-eye masks using common kitchen ingredients

Caroline Mishelle Aghajanian,…

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