Facts of Valentine's Day !

The lovey-dovey time of the year is on us, so here's what you need to know about Valentine's Day:

1. This day started as a Christian festival way back in 500 AD when the Pope Gelasius I named the day to be celebrated in the memory of early martyrs.

2. Legend has it that the original St Valentine was from Rome, but it also refers to Valentine of Terni-both of whom were martyred in the turn of first century AD.

3. The modern tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day as a day for romance can be traced back to the 14th century when all manners of romantic legends sprang up about a mythical Saint Valentine.

4. The romantic roots of this day lie even further back in pre-Christian times when the festival of Lupercalia would celebrate fertility and love in ancient Greece and Rome focusing on the mystical marriage between Zeus and Hera. This nature of the festival remained the same afterwards.

5. In 1797, a British publisher came up with a tract of romantic sayings and poems for the inept lover. This lead to the tradition of memorial cards and later, gifts.

The right cut

Till a little while ago, the marriage of complementary opposites was just ancient philosophy. Today it has more extravagant interpretations. As a proof of this, the Steinmetz Diamond Group recently crafted their Yin-Yang diamond earrings which weigh 35.61 and 35.77 carats respectively. Holding the record of the world's largest pair of round-cut diamonds which are Type IIa (reserved for less than 2 per cent of diamonds in the world), these are valued in excess of $25 million and will be available for sale through the Sotheby Auction House.

Foot light

Inspired

by the visual effects of Disney's latest 3D flick Tron Legacy, Puerto Rican designer Edmundo Castillo has crafted sandals that boast of blue LED lighting. Made from the electro-luminescent lamp materials used in the costumes worn in the film, the neon lights on the sandals light up once the attached thread cable is plugged in. It's available in silver metallic calfskin, black calfskin or in multi colored tangerine with blue calfskin. Step up! Price: $1,650(Rs 74,330).