HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
February 14,2008
The History of St. Valentine's Day
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged
between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this
mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's
Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that
February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it
today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who
was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?
Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named
Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third
century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better
soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young
men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of
the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young
lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that
he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to
help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and
tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine'
greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with
a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him
during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a
letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in
use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the
stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most
importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine
was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of
February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which
probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may
have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in
an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In
ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was
considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them
out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their
interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was
a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as
well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests,
would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the
founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The
priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for
purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the
sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of
crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed
being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make
them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend,
all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The
city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired
for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope
Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman
'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed.
Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England
that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to
the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for
romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem
written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the
Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting,
which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British
Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King
Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to
Catherine of Valois.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around
the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common
for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of
affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began
to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology.
Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time
when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates
also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day
greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the
early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first
mass-produced valentines in America.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion
valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest
card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for
Christmas.)
Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In
addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the
United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written
Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known
Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial
Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by
Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate
creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap"
.
You are beautiful. I love you.
Dr. Bernarr, D.C., D.D. God Healing, Inc. Natural Hygiene Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 1523 Santa Monica California 90406 USA Telephone: 310-396-2914
Web Site: http://www.healself.org E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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