The origins of Valentine's Day, like the origins of so many other Euro-American holidays, date back to ancient Rome.

Feb. 15 (about halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox) was the beginning of the annual fertility festival in Rome in honor of the god Lupercus. Besides celebrating the renewal of plant and animal life, it was a celebration of sensual pleasure, a time to meet and court a prospective mate.

When Christianity became Rome's official religion, the new authorities moved to ban or transform all the old rites. In AD 496, Pope Gelasius officially replaced the pagan festival with one deemed morally suitable. He needed a "lovers" saint to replace the pagan deity Lupercus. The new festival was named in honor of a martyred bishop, one of several men named Valentine who had already been named as saints. The new holiday was supposed to downplay sexual themes in favor of honoring religious devotion and familial love. But the boy courts girl aspect of the day never went away.

By the late Middle Ages, as elaborate rituals of "courtly love" became popular among Europe's nobility, Valentine's Day evolved into the now-familiar routine of public parties and personal gifts (including cards and flowers).

The English poets Geoffrey Chaucer and John Donne proclaimed it to be the natural day to honor true love, because they believed it to be the day when doves and other birds chose their lifetime mates.

By the Victorian era in the late 19th century, mass-produced valentine cards and commercially grown flowers had become the holiday's principal symbols.

In 1969, St. Valentine's Day was one of several holidays removed from the official Catholic calendar. But that hasn't stopped people from celebrating the day of love on Feb. 14.

ing don'ts for guys

There are LOTS of ways to ruin a date. Here are a few things NOT to say on a date.

"This is my apartment, but don't break anything, or you'll have to pay for it."

"Before we go back to my place, you're not afraid of, snakes, are you?"

"I really had a good time tonight, uh, um, what was your name again?"

"I want to move out, but my mom really needs me. And, who else is gonna make my lunch? And my bed? And clean my room?"

"My old girlfriend, Lisa, was so beautiful. She looked kind of like you. I used to bring her here all the time. Do you mind if I call you Lisa?"

"As soon as I saw you, I knew you'd go out with me. I said to myself, 'There's someone who looks desperate enough.'"

"Does this look like ringworm to you?"

"Have you thought about getting a Thigh-master? What about that Ultra Slim-fast, have you tried that?"

"I really don't like this restaurant that much, but I wanted to use this 2-for-1 coupon before it expired."

"People say I remind them of Eddie Haskell."

"I never said you NEED a nose job. I just said it wouldn't hurt to consider it."

"I really feel that I've grown in the past few years. Used to be I wouldn't have given someone like you a second look."

"And I won that trophy in the inter-fraternity belching contest."

"It's been tough, but I've come to accept that most people I date just won't be as smart as I am."

ling or Dud?

How do you rate as a lover or a mate? Take this quiz to find out whether you are a Valentine darling or a dud.

1. Your lover has just opened up and revealed some personal information. You respond:

A. I appreciate you opening up to me and think this will bring us closer.

B. That's nice. Could we eat now?

C. Were you talking to me?

2. You and your lover go to a party. You:

A. Stay by your date's side the entire party.

B. Stay by your date's side for a while, then leave to chat with a college drinking buddy.

C. Stay by your date's side for a while, then leave to chat with a former lover.

3. When it comes to flowers, you:

A. Buy flowers as a surprise, just because.

B. Buy flowers only when it's expected.

C. Forget to buy flowers even when it's expected and end up buying the roses made from underwear at a convenience store.

4. For your lover's birthday, you:

A. Look for months for an expensive gift you know your lover really wants.

B. Give it some thought and choose an inexpensive gift your lover really needs.

C. Wait until the last minute and buy a gift that day and its actually for you.

5. When another man or woman looks at you, you:

A. Kiss your mate to show the other person that you're taken.

B. Ignore the other person's gaze but remember who he/she is just in case.

C. Walk away from your mate and act like you don't know him/her.

6. Your favorite television show is on and your lover wants to talk. You:

A. You turn off the TV and really listen.

B. Keep the TV on and try to listen and watch at the same time.

C. Ask if you lover to say whatever it is during commercials.

7. Your mate wants to go see a movie. You:

A. Let your mate pick the film and don't complain, even if you hate it.

B. Urge a compromise on a film you'll both enjoy.

C. Insist on seeing a film you know your mate will hate, then hog the popcorn.

8. You meet for a date and notice when you kiss that your lover's breath smells really bad. You:

A. You say nothing and just put up with the halitosis for the evening.

B. Politely tell your date about the problem and hope it's not taken the wrong way.

C. Yell out, "Here, have a tic-tac. Please."

9. On a hot afternoon, you open the refrigerator and see there's only one soda. You:

A. Offer it to your lover and take tap water for yourself.

B. Offer to split it with your lover 50-50.

C. Drink it yourself, doing so quickly before your lover realizes it's the last one and asks for a sip.

10. Monday is Valentine's Day. You plan to:

A. Send your lover flowers, enjoy an intimate dinner together and end the evening with a special surprise.

B. Give your lover a nice card and spend the evening together.

C. Call your lover from the bar where you are out drinking with friends and buy a box of candy on Tuesday when it's on sale for half price.

SCORING:

3 points for every A

2 points for every B

1 point for every C

28-30: You are a great lover who knows how to treat a mate right.

20-27: You have the potential to be a great lover, but need to work on your romantic skills.

12-19: If you would start thinking more about your lover than yourself, you might not have so many problems with relationships.

10-11: No wonder you don't have a date for Valentine's Day.

Personal preferences can say a lot about your personality and your choice in cereal is no exception. Following is what some folks say you can tell about people according to their preference for the marshmallow shapes of Lucky Charms cereal.

Pink hearts: If you like pink hearts, you're the romantic type. You like your partner to whisper romantic phrases into your ear and, if he's too distracted to form coherent phrases, you'll settle for romantic syllables. People who like pink hearts read most of the romance novels published.

Blue moons: If you're the blue moon type, you're more interested in satisfying your partner's needs than your own. You prefer to lie back and wait for your partner to jump on you and express her/his needs verbally or non-verbally. You are affectionate and sensitive to your partner's needs.

Orange stars: If your favorite shape is the orange star, you expect to be the center of attention. You expect your partner to spend most of the time pleasing you, and when you do something for your partner, you expect enthusiastic applause.

Green clovers: Green clover lovers are happy-go-lucky types, who don't take anything too seriously and always manage to have a good time. You don't have any patience with depressed people and tend to sit on them until they cheer up. You have lots of friends and a self-confidence that others find sexy.

Purple horseshoes: If those purple horseshoes are your thing, your tastes run modern, uninhibited and slightly warped. Variety is the spice of life and you live for it. You are fun as a lover, but you are a bit on the selfish side. You have a tendency to change your mind as fast as you change your underwear. If you hang out with a purple person for any amount of time you quickly see how fast this can happen.