|
The origins of St. Valentine's Day:
Lupercian Festival - Roman Empire
St Valentine's Day has its roots in the Roman Lupercian Festival which was held in honour of the God of Fertility every year in February. As early as the fourth century BCE, the Romans engaged in an annual young men's rite of passage to honour the god Lupercus. The names of teenaged women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion, for their mutual entertainment and pleasure (most often sexual), for the duration of a year.
St Valentine, of Interamna
A common legend states that Valentine was a priest who served in third century Rome. In year 270 CE (Common Era), Emperor Claudius II issued an edict forbidding his soldiers to marry. Claudius II declared that single males made superior soldiers than did those who had wives and children. He outlawed marriage for all young men in order to optimize his potential army of soldiers. In direct defiance of the Emperor, Valentine went against this edict and continued to perform marriages in secret ceremonies. Upon learning of Valentine's actions, the Emperor was enraged and immediately sentenced him to death; Valentine was beheaded on February 24, 270 CE.
Legend claims that while Valentine was in prison awaiting execution, he fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailer, Asterius. Before his execution, he signed a farewell message to her: "From Your Valentine." This phrase has outlived its author by 1736 years!
Catholic Church and Lupercian Coalescence
Determined to put an end to the 800 year old Lupercian practice, the early church fathers sought a "lovers" saint to replace the pagan deity, Lupercus. From the standpoint of the Church, Valentine, who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier, seemed to be the ideal candidate to usurp the popularity of Lupercus. So in 496 CE, a stern Pope Gelasius outlawed the mid-February Lupercian festival. Instead, February 14 became a holy day with St Valentine being instituted as its patron saint.
Even though, in 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St Valentine's Day from its calendar of 'official' holidays, habit and custom ensure its wide popularity and celebration.
Valentine Cards
One legend states that the tradition of sending cards began when St Valentine himself passed notes to the jailer's daughter. Another story claims that passing out cards stems from a French Count, Charles, Duke of Orleans, who sent the earliest extant card in 1415, to his wife, while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. This card is now in the British Museum.
Valentine's Day cards became popular in the 1700s when hand made cards made with satin, ribbon and lace, among other fineries, were given to lovers. By the early 1800s, commercial Valentine cards began to appear. Valentine's Day cards are now sent at the rate of one billion a year, putting them just behind Christmas cards as the most popular cards.
Roses
The rose is used in the celebration of St Valentine's Day because this flower was sacred to Venusthe Roman Goddess of Love.
Birds
Another popular symbol of the day are birdsparticularly doves and lovebirds. These two birds were thought to mate for life and it was believed that they choose their mate in the middle of February.
Hearts
In the past, people believed that the heart was the center of all emotion. Therefore, by giving someone a symbol of the heart, one was avowing all the love and emotion that one felt toward the person to whom the card was given.
Cupid
Cupid was a Roman god. He was the son of Venus, who was the Roman goddess of love. Cupid is the symbol of passionate love. He is known as the mischievous Jinn, disguised as a winged child, armed with a bow and arrows.
Cupid fell in love with Psyche, who was a mortal. This made his mother, Venus, angry. She persuaded Psyche to look into the 'box of beauty' and when Psyche did, a deep slumber engulfed her. Cupid came down to earth and searched the world for her. He found her in a deep sleep. His love for her was so strong that he was able to extract the sleep from her and place it back into the box. Then he used an arrow to pierce her heart and awaken her. Since then, Cupid has always played a role in the celebrations of love and lovers.
In ancient Greece, the god of passionate love was known as Eros. He was the young son of Aphroditethe Greek goddess of love and beauty.
|