Valentines Day
Why do we celebrate St. Valentines Day?
Here come the historical bit’s…
The reason why we associate the month of February with love and fertility is down to Greek Mythology. Gamelion was the name of the period of mid January to mid February and was dedicated to the marriage of Zeus (King of the Gods and suggested father of Aphrodite) and Hera (Goddess of marriage and also the older sister of Zeus!).
There many ‘Valentines’ to whom this day could be attributed to. The more well known Valentine dates back to c. 100 – c. 150 and was called Valentinius of Alexandria. This man was a Gnostic teacher and in 143 was also a candidate to become the Bishop of Rome. According to Valentinius the bed of a married couple was the central place of his interpretation of love within Christianity.
This celebration is named after two men of Christian faith both of which were called Valentine. The date of 14th February is synonymous to the two Valentines as this was the date that they were martyred and most likely died.
The year of 1382 brings the first recorded connection of Valentine’s Day with romance and love. The poet and author Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem (Parlement of Foules - a poem made up by approximately 700 lines) in honour of the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II (aged 13) and Anne of Bohemia aged 14).
“For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery
bryd comyth there to chese [chose] his make [mate]”
Traditionally, lovers on this day exchange small gifts as a gesture of their love for each other. Valentines cards with hearts and symbols of love have been around for many years. It is suggested that the British took their Valentines traditions over to America in the 1800’s. The first Valentines greeting cards to be sold in the USA were sold by a lady called Esther Howland in 1847. Her father ran a stationary shop in a small town in the state of Massachusetts. A business colleague of his presented a card to Esther who in turn decided to make and market her own Valentine cards.
Interesting Fact: The word Valentine originates from the Latin ‘Valor’ meaning ‘Worthy’.
Interesting Fact: The pomegranate fruit in the times of Zeus and Hera was seen as an emblem of fertile blood and death and also as a substitute for the narcotic capsule of the opium poppy!
