Gift Idea for Everyone

Its that time of the year again when there would be an expected shortage of flowers and a large demand for chocolates and jewelries, which would most probably result in another round of price increases, at least for a couple of days or so. Indeed, we are talking about Valentines Day, that special day which many believe is meant for lovers and love. Festivities during this occasion include dinner dates, floral deliveries and even wedding proposals on some highly romantic place that would be worth remembering a lifetime for. Throughout the years, Valentines has become one of the primary occasions of the year, and a very eagerly anticipated one at that.

But why do we celebrate Valentines? What is the real inspiration for this occasion?

Or rather, who is the inspiration for this day celebrated in the name of love?

My Funny Valentinus

Valentines Day gathers its name from the word Valentinus, which is indeed a name of a person. There are quite a number of accounts of people who were named as such, and who have been canonized as saints. One of them is believed to be the inspiration for the February event.

One Valentinus was a soldier for the Roman army under Emperor Claudius II. The emperor believed back then that marriages and familial obligations made his warriors weak. He decreed that all his soldiers should be celibate. Valentinus defied the mandate and continued celebrating marriages between the soldiers and their loved ones. This led to his death, as Claudius ordered him executed for his defiance.

Though he celebrated love despite the perils to his life while he was in service, Valentinus legendary exploits are more famous for his stay in jail, where it is widely believed that he fell in love with a young girl who was the jail wardens daughter. The forbidden romance between a prisoner and an officers child was carried through secret correspondences until the very day of Valentinus demise. It is said that he signed his letters with the words From Your Valentinus, and such liaisons of love were so moving that they were reprinted many, many times in the centuries that followed.

Birth Of A Myth

Tales become legends, of course, and Valentinus fame carried over the late middle ages. It is at this period when Valentines Day began to be celebrated as a formal occasion. It coincided with the date of Valentinus execution, which happened in the same month in the year 270 AD.

But many believe that the modern day Valentines is a result of the tale above, plus the Christianization of the Roman festival known as Lupercalia. During the earlier years of the Church, its officials decided to adopt pagan celebrations to include the many pagans of the occupied territories in their religion. Lupercalia was one such celebration.

Lupercalia was called the day of purification. Young men run around town to whip people with their leather thongs, especially women who wanted a cure for their infertility. When Lupercalia was absorbed as a Catholic celebration, holy water replaced the leather thongs, and flowers replaced the whips. And the women who thought of themselves as barren placed their names in an urn, to be drawn by the bachelors of the town, with whom they would be paired with for a year.

Valentines Day Made Official

It was Pope Gelasius who made February 14 as the official date for Valentines, way back in 488 AD. It was at this time when the lottery system associated with Lupercalia was deemed as immoral, and instead, a period of wooing replaced it, and flowers as well as other presents became wonderful options.

Also, in the European territories, February marked the beginning of the birds migration, prepping them up for mating season. The magic of Valentines Day was reinforced because it coincided with this event.

Today, there are many ways of celebrating Valentines Day, but none of them lose sight of their brave beginnings. Valentinus spirit lives on, and love is celebrated with festive activities in the modern world.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 7th, 2005 at 7:50 pm and is filed under Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.