Billions of people all over the world, through out the centuries, have dedicated an entire day for grand gestures of love : The Valentine's Day. The history of V's day and its patron, St. Valentine, however, is shrouded in mystery. There are various interesting legends associating this day with Roman traditions, Christian Saints, Chaucer's love birds and so on. So, this time round I decided to do a little research on Valentine's day.The association between mid-Feb and romance probably goes back to a Pagan fertility festival in ancient Rome called 'Lupercalia' dedicated to either 'Lupa', the she-wolf who had taken care of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome or 'Faunus' the Roman god of Fertility. The festival began with an animal sacrifice followed by ritualistic slapping of young women with goat hide strips to bestow fertility for the coming year. However, in the 5th C, perhaps in an attempt to Christianize the Pagan festival, the then Pope Gelasius declared Feb 14 as St. Valentine's Day. As for the real identity of St Valentine, it is believed that there were several St Valentines, all of whom were said to have been martyred on Feb 14. Legend also has it that one Saint Valentine, a Roman priest, served the Roman emperor Claudius II, an ambitious ruler. The emperor believed single men made better soldiers and had banned marriages altogether. Father Valentine, having realised the injustice of the decree defied the emperor by continuing to perfom marriages for young lovers in secret. The emperor eventually had the Saint arrested and sentenced for death. It is believed that young couples he had secretly married would visit him, passing him flowers and notes through his bars as symbols of
their gratitude. The legend further continues that St Valentine during his stay in the prison fell in love with his jailer's daughter. On the day of his execution, Feb 14, he passed this young girl a note which was signed : ''From your Valentine''.. hence a tradition was born.Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that Feb 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 was probably 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 written in 1415 still exists in the British Library in London.
Cupid, the winged match-maker has long played a crucial role in the celebration of love on V's day. In ancient Greece he was known as ''Eros'' the son of ''Aphrodite'', the goddess of love and beauty. To the Roman's he was ''Cupid'', the God of love, and was the son of ''Venus'' who allegedly fell in love with a beautiful mortal maiden''Psyche''. Later on, Cupid inspired the image of Cherubs for Christians and now is a favourite of the card-makers.
In England Valentine's Day began to be celebrated around the 17thC. By the 18thC it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection, handwritten notes and hand-made cards decorated with lace, ribbons and featuring cupids. In the 1850s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first commercially -produced valentines cards in America.
Our modern V's day has evolved into one of the most celebrated holidays as well as a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, in addition to the red roses, heart shaped chocolates, diamonds etc.. BUT one can do without all this on St Valentine's day... the poets were right..Love is all you need! Happy Valentine's Day!
