The origins of Valentine's Day trace back to the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia.

Held on February 15, Lupercalia honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.

In addition to a bountiful feast, Lupercalia festivities are purported to have included the pairing of young women and men.

Men would draw women's names from a box, and each couple would be paired until next year's celebration.

While this pairing of couples set the tone for today's holiday, it wasn't called "Valentine's Day" until a priest named Valentine came along.

Valentine, a romantic at heart, disobeyed Emperor Claudius II's decree that soldiers remain bachelors.

Claudius handed down this decree believing that soldiers would be distracted and unable to concentrate on fighting if they were married or engaged.

Valentine defied the emperor and secretly performed marriage ceremonies.

As a result of his defiance, Valentine was put to death on February 14.

After Valentine's death, he was named a saint.

As Christianity spread through Rome, the priests moved Lupercalia from February 15 to February 14 and renamed it St. Valentine's Day to honor Saint Valentine.

What's Cupid Got to Do with It?

According to Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Cupid was known to cause people to fall in love by shooting them with his magical arrows.

But Cupid didn't just cause others to fall in love - he himself fell deeply in love.

As legend has it, Cupid fell in love with a mortal maiden named Psyche.

Cupid married Psyche, but Venus, jealous of Psyche's beauty, forbade her daughter-in-law to look at Cupid. Psyche, of course, couldn't resist temptation and sneaked a peek at her handsome husband.

As punishment, Venus demanded that she perform three hard tasks, the last of which caused Psyche's death.

Cupid brought Psyche back to life and the gods, moved by their love, granted Pysche immortality.

Cupid thus represents the heart and Psyche the (struggles of the) human soul.

Fun Facts

• Approximately 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are sent each year.
• In order of popularity, Valentine's Day cards are given to: teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts, Koko the gorilla.
• The expression "wearing your heart on your sleeve" comes from a Valentine's Day party tradition. Young women would write their names on slips of paper to be drawn by young men. A man would then wear a woman's name on his sleeve to claim her as his valentine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dewar was the founder of an eponymous "Dewarism" philosophy, he attempted to show that the way to success in life is not through an arduous or painstaking work agenda; success can be attained without compromising joy in life.

This idea being the core of the philosophy, Tommy wrote smaller statements or observations that he accumulated throughout his life.

A sample of the thoughts and philosophies of Tommy Dewar are found below.

No. 22 Sometimes doing nothing is doing something.

No. 36 Enjoy now, another now is coming.

No. 43 Less pain, more gain.

No. 49 The pause is a part of the walk.

No. 27 Go ahead, look around.

No. 28 You better wait for the unexpected.

No. 34 Making a mistake is also an achievement.

No. 47 Leave for tomorrow what you can't do today.

No. 58 The further you are from a problem, the smaller it gets.

No. 64 If you think you know it all, you are missing something.

No. 73 Proper rules are not written.

No. 77 Sometimes a step forward needs a step back.

No. 86 If you get to the top on your own, who'll take the picture?

No. 14 When a man says his word is as his bond - get his bond.

No. 17 We should not say how's business, but where is business

No. 19 Never invest in a going concern until you know which way it is going.

No. 21 Keep advertising and advertising will keep you.

No. 23 The quality of the article should be its greatest achievement.

No. 31 If you do not advertise, you fossilize.

No. 38 Yesterday's success belongs to yesterday.

No. 42 In charity there is no excess.

No. 46 The greatest mistake you can make is to be continually fearing you will make one.

No. 51 Life is a one-way street and you're not coming back.

No. 54 Fish stimulates the brain, but fishing stimulates the imagination.

No. 66 Respectability is the state of never being caught doing anything which gives you pleasure.

No. 68 Of two evils, choose the more interesting.

No. 70 There is no traffic congestion on the straight and narrow path.

No. 76 We have a great regard for old age when it is bottled.

No. 79 A philosopher is a man who can look at an empty glass with a smile.

No. 80 A teetotaller is one who suffers from thirst instead of enjoying it.

No. 83 Minds are like parachutes: they only function when they're open.

No. 85 Experience is what you get when you're looking for something else.

No. 87 Ability without enthusiasm is like a rifle without a bullet.

No. 92 You can send a boy to college but you can't make him think.

No. 95 If we are here to help others, I often wonder what the others are here for.

No. 97 Don't question your wife's judgment; look who she married.

Sir Tommy Dewar costruì la propria fortuna sulla base di una semplice intuizione, cioè che "la sofferenza non è la chiave per il successo".

A questo nucleo di filosofia pratica, col tempo, il nostro produttore di whisky aggiunse altre massime.

Eccone alcune:

N. 22 Talvolta non far nulla è fare qualcosa.

N. 36 Goditi l’adesso. Un altro adesso sta arrivando.

N. 43 Meno dolore, più guadagno.

N. 49 La pausa è parte del cammino.

N. 27 Va’ avanti, guardati attorno.

N. 28 È meglio che ti aspetti l’inatteso.

N. 34 Fare un errore è anche una conquista.

N. 47 Lascia per domani ciò che non puoi fare oggi.

N. 58 Più stai distante da un problema, più diventa piccolo.

N. 64 Se pensi di saper già tutto, ti perdi qualcosa.

N. 73 Le regole migliori non sono scritte.

N. 77 Talvolta un passo avanti è u passo indietro.

N. 86 Se arrivi in cima da solo, chi ti farà la foto?

N. 38 Il successo di ieri appartiene a ieri.

N. 42 Nella carità non vi sono eccessi.

N. 46 Il più grande errore che puoi commettere è di aver continuamente paura di farne uno.

N. 51 La vita è una strada a senso unico e non tornerai indietro.

N. 66 La rispettabilità è lo stato di non essere mai colto a fare qualcosa che ti dà piacere.

N. 68 Di due mali, scegli il più interessante.

N. 70 Non c’è traffico congestionato sul sentiero della rettitudine.

N. 76 Abbiamo un gran rispetto per l’età, quando è imbottigliata.

N. 79 Un filosofo è un uomo che può sorridere a un bicchiere vuoto.

N. 80 Un astemio è uno che soffre la sete invece di godersela.

N. 83 Le menti sono come paracadute, funzionano solo se aperte.

N. 85 L’esperienza è ciò che ottieni quando cerchi qualcos’altro.

N. 87 La capacità senza entusiasmo è come un fucile senza pallottola.

N. 92 Puoi mandare un ragazzo al college ma non puoi farlo pensare.

N. 95 Se noi siamo qui per aiutare gli altri, mi domando gli altri che cosa siano qui a fare.

N. 97 Non fidarti del giudizio di tua moglie: guarda chi ha sposato.