...As They Celebrate Val in grand style
BY ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is an annual holiday celebrated on February 14. It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day honouring one or more early saints named Valentinus, and is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.
Several martyrdom stories associated with the various Valentines that were connected to February 14 were added to later martyrologies, including a popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome which indicated he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, Saint Valentine healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius, and before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.
The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines". In Europe, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart", as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards
In Nigeria and Abuja in particular, some women who came together through the help of social media made the day a worthwhile not just for themselves but for those in need of help. The Women’s Forum which is also known as Matured Minds are a collection of women from diverse walks of life and also provide women with Information, Education, Romantic ideas, Motivational gist, Relationship advice while also discussing the challenges of womanhood with the aim of helping women with broken hearts and troubled home live through it and turn things around for good.
According to one of the leaders of the group, she said since the valentine is all about love, they thought I right to ‘go out and show love to others and also meet our selves face to face after a while debating and trying to meet each other.’ She said.
After the orphanage visitation, they went to Jabi Lake where the celebration went through the night as they danced their hearts out in joy. There was also lots of food to eat and drinks.

View more pictures on http://okrote..com.ng/2017/02/how-social-media-brought-women-together.html