Well today is Valentines Day … and those men who forgot it will have a painful reminder from someone who didn’t. Now depending on how romantic or sentimental you are by nature, we each have a different approach to dealing with the middle of February. For some it is just a stepping stone between Christmas and Easter — something to add colour and magic to the long and dreary winter. For some this not so holy day is an essential part of their romance, whether the relationship be new and exciting, or one that is long and stable. Others say that a good marriage or “relationship” as it is called nowadays, really doesn’t need a calendar day to keep it fresh and exciting. For others, the day is an excuse to indulge (or overindulge) in chocolate before the austere season of lent begins. In any case, florists, and the good people at Hallmark love Valentines Day.
So where did the day come from? Trying to explain that is an exercise in trivia because there are so many stories and legends about how the day actually came to be. And yes there was a St. Valentine, actually not one but as many as 15. It was a very popular name in antiquity.
My favourite story about the origin of Valentine’s Day concerns a priest by that name who was executed on or about February 14 in the year 270 A.D. This happened during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II, who was a brutal and cruel man. He believed that Roman men were reluctant to join the army because of their attachment to their wives and children. So his idea of solving the problem was to forbid marriage for young men below a certain age. Valentine the priest however, continued to perform secret marriages for young lovers. When he was discovered, he was hauled before Claudius and sentenced to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. Legend also has it that while in jail, St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine.” So Valentine became the martyr who was the champion of love.
The Roman Catholic Church recognizes him and two others by that name on their official list of “saints”. There are different stories and legends behind how St. Valentine’s name became associated with love. Some believe that the date of his death may have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love. On those occasions, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which men could draw random names of people who became their “Valentine” . In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that February 14 be celebrated as St Valentine’s Day. So there you have it. However you choose to observe or not observe the day, be happy, or better still bring happiness to the ones you love, or those whom you don’t, who need it most!
