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The history of Valentine's Day, and its patron saint, is shrouded in mystery. For a centuries February has been
known as a time of Romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we now know it, is based on both Christian and Roman
traditions and histories.
  In Greek mythology and philosophy, Eros (a.k.a. Cupid or Amor in Roman mythology) played many roles. In the Theogony of Hesiod (c.750 BC), Eros impregnated Gaea (mother earth), and their offspring were Uranus (heaven), the sea, and mountains. The Birds of Aristophanes contains another theogony, in which Chaos and darkness first existed. Then night laid an egg in darkness, and Eros was hatched. Finally, Eros fertilized Chaos, who gave birth to ocean, heaven, earth, and all the gods. Among some early Greek philosophers, Eros was love, the force responsible for all creation--if present--and for all destruction--if absent. As a young, playful god, he was often referred to as a son of Aphrodite and was frequently depicted as causing love by shooting a gold-tipped arrow. Many of his antics are related in the Aeneid of Vergil and in the Metamorphoses of Ovid. In art, he is usually depicted with wings, carrying a bow and wearing a quiver of arrows. 
The name Saint Valentine is associated with two legendary Christian martyrs who are recognized by
the Catholic Church. One legend has Valentine as a Roman priest martyred (c.269) during the persecution of
Claudius the Goth (Claudius II), and who was buried on the Flaminian Way. It was said that when Emperor Claudius II
decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young,
single men. The priest Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers
in secret. When his actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Another legend suggests that Valentine was a bishop of Terni who was martyred (c.270) in Rome .
It is though he may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh
Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. He was sent to prision, and while there fell in love
with the jailor's daughter who would come and visit him during his imprisionment. 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. 
Many believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to honor the anniversary of St.
Valentine's death. Yet many more believe that this date was chosen by the church in order to override the
pagan festival of Lupercalia which was held on February 15th. Lupercalia (which began on the Ides of
February - the 15th) was a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman God of Agriculture and also the the
founders of Rome Romulus and Remus. To start the festival, the Luperci (Roman priests) gathered at the sacred
cave where Romulus and Remus were said to have been raised by a she-wolf. There they would sacrifice a goat for
fertility, and a dog for purification. When this was done the priests would cut up the goat's hide into strips and
soak in the sacrificial blood. They then would walk through the streets slapping the women and crops with these
strips because it was felt it would make both the women and crops more fertile in the coming year. The women's
names were put into an urn and then names were drawn. They were then paired with single men, and often married.
St. Valentine's day is believed to have been declared as a day of love and courtship dedicated to the martyred
St. Valentine as a way for the Christian church to combat the pagan Festival of Lupercalia.
In 498 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day. The Roman name drawing system used in
conjunction with the Festival of Lupercalia was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. In France and England during
the Middle Ages it was believed that February 14th was the beginning of bird mating season, and therefore should
be a day of romance. St. Valentine's day remained an offical feast day in the Catholic Church until 1969, when the
holiday was dropped from the church holiday observations.
I want to say quite sweetly
Love me, says purple. 
1859 - Oregon was the 33rd state to be admitted to the Union.
1929 - Alfonse "Al" Capone killed Chicago gang war rivals in what became known as the "St. Valentine's Day
Massacre". Dressed as policemen, Capone's men killed seven members of the Bugsy Malone Gang in a Chicago
garage.
1962 - Jacqueline Kennedy hosted a televised tour of the White House that was broadcast simultaneously by
CBS and NBC and was seen by an estimated 46,500,000 people.
1984 - It was announced that President Ronald Reagan's presidential library and museum would be located
at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. |
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