MISTERWRITER

	Return to Blog Read or Post Comments HAPPY VALENTIMES DAY - DEATH BY EMPEROR CLAUDIUS BECAUSE YOU ARE A VALENTINE OR ONE OF SEVEN VALENTINES - AND MY HOW IT HAS CHANGED! Friday, February 13, 2009 I'd like to wish you a Happy Valentimes Day for tomorrow (scroll down to know why.)One of the nice things about traditions is finding out the history that led to them In this case, Valentine's Day had a long beginning, first as a pagan tradition in the third century when hordes of hungry wolves roamed outside Rome where shepherds kept their flocks. "The God Lupercus, was said to watch over the shepherds and their flocks and keep them from the wolves. Every February the Romans celebrated a feast called Lupercalia to honor Lupercus so that no harm would come to the shepherds and their flocks. Also during Lupercalia, but in honor of the goddess Juno Februata, the names of young women were put into a box and names were drawn by lot. The boys and girls who were matched would be considered partners for the year, which began in March. This celebration continued long after wolves were a problem to Rome." As Christianity became prevalent, priests attempted to replace old heathen practices. To Christianize the ancient pagan celebration of the Feast of Lubercus, the church officials changed the name to St. Valentine's Day. To give the celebration further meaning and eliminate pagan traditions, priests substituted the drawing of Saints names for the names of the girls. On St. Valentine's Day the priest placed saint's names into an urn or box. The young people then drew a name from the container. In the following year, the youth was supposed to emulate the life of the saint whose name he had drawn. By the fourteenth century they reverted back to the use of girl's names. In the sixteenth century they once again tried to have saintly valentines but it was as unsuccessful as the first attempt. While it can't be proved historically, there were seven men named Valentine who were honored with feasts on February 14th. Of these men, two stories link incidents that could have given our present day meaning to St. Valentine's Day. One of these men named Valentine was a priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Valentine was revered by the young and old, rich and poor, with people of all walks of life attending his services. At this time Emperor Claudius was heavily recruiting men to serve as soldiers for his wars without much success. The men preferred not to leave their wives, families and sweethearts to fight in foreign lands. Claudius became angry and declared that no more marriages could be performed and all engagements were cancelled. Valentine thought this to be unfair and secretly married several couples. When Claudius found out, he threw Valentine in prison where he died. Friends of the priest retrieved his body and buried it in a churchyard in Rome. Another version had St. Valentine jailed for helping Christians. While Valentine was in prison he cured a jailer's daughter of blindness. Claudius became enraged and had Valentine clubbed and beheaded on February 14, 269 A.D. Yet another story claims that Valentine fell in love with the jailer's daughter and wrote her letters that were signed "From your Valentine." All of the seven Valentines eventually evolved into one. In 496 Pope Gelasius declared the day in honor of St. Valentine. Through the centuries the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Lovers' quarrels come under his jurisdiction and, naturally, he is the patron saint of engaged couples and of anyone wishing to marry. As for how it came to be held on February 14th, well that was part of the European belief that birds chose their mates on that day; what is good enough for disease carrying flying rodents is good enough to the (then) non-bathing people of the time. Gosh, when you put it that way it all sounds so romantic! Growing up, not everyone got a Valentine card. If you gave one or received one then there was an element of mystery because your Valentine never signed it and you would have to find out who sent it to you. I remember that I never received Valentine cards except one year when I was in 7th grade. The girl I liked was one of identical twins. And while I liked her, it was her twin who liked me. That made for an interesting moment - if you think about it, identical twins - would it matter which one gave the Valentine? My point is that the many years of not getting on, or watching others get one but not me had absolutely no negative effect upon me. That uncertainty made Valentine's Day a time of anticipation and excitement and you would revel in those who did get a card or a gift. Nowadays, the whole tradition has been made meaningless. Every child must give every child some mass manufactured piece of card with a generic candy stuck on it, signed carelessly and handed out like at a poker game. And the logic behind this is so that no child with a fragile sense of self-worth, will have their ego crushed. Darn! There we go again not being allowed to make children feel bad at all, and we wonder why we have a generation of adults who cry foul at the first sign of distress instead of attempting problem solve and challenge themselves to improve. When I was a teacher I banned Valentine's cards in my room - students could hand them out outside after school. But just so they did not feel left out, I printed them a card of my own, a ten by ten multiplication grid bearing the greeting "HAPPY VALENTIMES DAY." HAPPY VALENTIMES DAY! 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