Ahh, its Valentine's Day--the day to celebrate romance and love and kissy-face fealty. The origin of this fabulous day are somewhat dark, bloody and muddled. Though there is no one pinpoint on the origin of the blessed day, we should begin where so many great things began--with the Romans. The days is rumored to have begun with what else? men hitting on women... literally.
 |
| A drawing depicts the death of St. Valentine — one of them, anyway. The Romans executed two men by that name on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. |
From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. Men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain. These Roman "romantics" were drunk and naked. (Talk about punch-drunk love). And of course in true womanly fashion, these women would actually line up for the men to hit them beleiving it would make them fertile (we do anything for babies, right?).
The "festival" included a matchmaking lottery, where young men drew the names of "lucky"women from a jar and the couple would then be, well, coupled up for the duration of the festival (or longer, if the match was right).
The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Historians show show that Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Valentine's martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day. (Gotta love us Catholics and our Saints). Although Pope Gelasius I later muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia (the "hitting festival") to expel the pagan rituals, but byt then the festival was more of a theatrical interpretation of what it had once been. One historuan noted, "It was a little more of a drunken revel, but the Christians put clothes back on it. That didn't stop it from being a day of fertility and love."
Around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin's Day. Galatin meant "lover of women." That was likely confused with St. Valentine's Day at some point, in part because they sound alike.
As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their writing, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the symbol in the Middle Ages. Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. And in 1913, the illustrious Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass producing "valentines." February has not been the same since.
Today, the holiday is big business: According to market research firm IBIS World, Valentine's Day sales reached $17.6 billion last year; this year's sales are expected to total $18.6 billion. But that commercialization has spoiled the day for many. I mean come on people, if we do not indugle Hallmark, the "holiday" ends! (I wish).
And so the celebration of Valentine's Day will go on, celebrated every which way from Sunday. Millions will be spent in jewelry, flowers, cards, candy, dinner, and lingerie (a man can hope right?). Others will celebrate in a SAD (that's
Single Awareness Day) way, dining alone and binging on self-gifted chocolates. (15% of women will send
themselves flowers on Valentine's day, so much for women's lib....) A few may even be spending this day the same way the early Romans did.( But let's not go there.)
So, no matter how you chose to spend today, or what you decide to give your Valentine, remember, it could be worse ladies, you could be beaten with dead animal hide or you could have been alive during the infamous
St. Valentine's Day Massacre... single doesn't sound so bad now, huh? Here's to hoping you spend the day not thinking of love lost, or your relationships status on facebook, but rather be blessed you do not live in the time of the Romans. Happy V Day Everyone! ~
The Illegal Blonde
