As early as the
fourth century B.C., the Romans engaged in an annual young man's rite to passage
to the God Lupercus.
The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by
adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of
the year, after which another lottery was staged.
After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church priests
sought to end this practice... They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who
had been killed some two hundred years earlier.
According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the
year 270 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor Claudius-II who had issued an edict
forbidding marriage.
This was around when the heyday of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack
of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Learning declined,
taxation increased, and trade slumped to a low, precarious level. And the Gauls,
Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asian increased their
pressure on the empire's boundaries. The empire was grown too large to be
shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Thus
more of capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and officers. When
Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally
attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. So to assure
quality soldiers, he banned marriage.
Valentine, a bishop , seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a secret
place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of this
"friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor, impressed with the young
priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the roman gods, to
save him from certain execution. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and
even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully.
On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.
"From your Valentine"
Valentin's also
includes a very interesting fictional part. While Valentine was in prison
awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailor, Asterius.
The jailor had a blind daughter.
Asterius requested him to heal
his daughter. In the story St. Valentine restored the sight of Asterius'
daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his
jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase
that lived ever after.
Valentine thus become a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual
festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and
wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting
cards acquired St.Valentine's
name.
The Valentine's Day card spread , and is now celebrated all over the world. One
of the earliest card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife
while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the
British Museum.
The day is now most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in
the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped
outline and the figure of the winged Cupid.
Since the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes has largely given way
to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards.
More on The Valentine's Day - Feberuary 14th
---The Greeting
Card Association estimates that, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine
cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday
of the year behind Christmas.
---The association also estimates that woomen purchase approximately 85 percent
of all valentines.
---Valentine's day is also known as Singlles' Awareness Day
--- In Japan and Korea women give 'candy or chocolate' to the men they like
---Another thought is: There were two saiints named Valentine and a priest a
named Valentine. One saint was executed on February 14th and 227 years later,
Pope Gelasius named February 14, Valentine's Day for him. The priest named
Valentine disobeyed the Emperor and secretly married couples.
---And another thought is: Birds and fowll select their mates on February 14th.
---Valentine's day symbols are: Cupid (Thhe Roman God of Love) -Doves -Love
-Birds -Roses -Hearts -Arrows -Lacy Doiliies
---Over 50 million roses are given for Vaalentine's Day each year.
Disclaimer
The
Quarterly Echo has provided these links to students for educational and
awareness purposes only. We neither endorse, nor are affiliated with any of the
featured websites. The Quarterly Echo is in no event liable for damages, injury
or offence caused by viewing/visiting of the websites linked herein.