Ever
wondered how
February 14 became the special day on which we celebrate and explore
love in
all its many ideals,Valentine's Day. m
There
are
many
differing
opinions
on
how
Valentines
Day
started.
One
story says that when
the Roman Empire reigned, a festival every February was held in honour
of the God of Fertility and during this time, young men would choose
their mate. When a Emperor named Claudius came around, he outlawed all
marriages in fear that the men would not be able to fight. Young
couples still fell in love though and still wished to marry and they
took these desires to the Catholic Bishop Valentine who, understanding
love, began to secretly marry couples. When Claudius found out, he had
Valentine arrested and ordered put to death. While waiting in jail,
Valentine began exchanging letters with the jailers daughter and soon
had fallen in love with her. The day he was to be beheaded, he wrote
her one last note and signed it: From Your Valentine.
Another story points
to Christianity
in 496 A.D outlawing the pagan Lupercian Festival and replacing it with
a day in February to honour the martyr St. Valentine.
A
third story as to the
origin of passing out cards stems from a French Count who was captured
and imprisoned in London. From his cell he wrote his wife letters,
including a passionate set of poems which he sent to her in February.
At the
turn of the
century, a new form of Valentine's Day card appeared the Penny
Dreadful.
Up until this point, cards were relatively expensive but the Penny
Dreadful changed all that. They were just what the name implied,
costing only one cent and completely bad. The cards were cheaply made,
the artwork was amateurish and the colouring was uneven. On top of that
the verses printed on them were not the most romantic of prose. They
were more often insults, taking swipes at old maids, teachers and the
like. Still their low cost kept them popular for years.
Valentine
love
remembered
For
hundreds of years,
Valentine's Day has been a special day of love symbols.You can hardly
go
through
the day without seeing a rose (as a symbol to Venus, the Goddess of
Love), images of doves and lovebirds (who mate for life) or hearts. The
heart was thought to be the centre of all emotion. People believed that
when they gave a valentine love heart, they were truly giving all of
the love and emotion that they possibly could give.
Commercial
side
of
valentine
love
Its
past aside,
Valentine's Day is the second the most popular card sending holiday
just
behind Christmas with one billion a cards sent a year. When the
calendar turns to February, we start to think of love. February has for
centuries been designated the special month for lovers, with the
primary
celebration being on February 14,
St. Valentines Day. We send cards,
flowers, and candy and our children give out Valentines in school.
Valentines Day reminds us to tell our loved ones just how much
we care
about them.
About
The Author:Bud Smith Written
by staff at infoweb.co.nz .
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