February
What a “LOVE”ly month of the year – when we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Remember, back in grade school, when we covered shoeboxes with hearts and then opened them, expectantly, at the annual class Valentine’s Day party? Days before we carefully printed the names of classmates on envelopes and then stuffed a Valentine’s wish into each decorated box. Of course, we all knew who would be sending Valentines cards to us (mainly because the teacher specified we would give a valentine to every classmate), but wasn’t it fun to send that “special” card to a special friend?
As adults, we may still celebrate Valentine’s Day with a special card or an evening out with friends or someone we love. We may send cards to our older relatives, letting them know we keep them near to our hearts.
But, what if we made it a point to give someone a “valentine” every day? Maybe that valentine would be a gesture of letting someone into our lane of traffic on the way to work…or a special thank-you to a store clerk or to the individual who seats us at the restaurant during lunch.
As a child, I loved celebrating Valentine’s Day…and I remember that many of us would continue making cards out of red and white construction paper, long after Feb. 14th had passed. As an adult, I still love letting people know how much I care about them…and this year, I’m planning to continue the celebration with my daily “valentines” simply because my heart tells me it’s a nice thing to do.
The Mysteries of Valentine’s Day
Nobody really knows the true story of St. Valentine’s. In fact, it’s been a mystery for ages…but we do know February has long been a month to celebrate romance.
But, who was Saint Valentine?
- We can begin with the fact that the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
- One legend tells us Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. At about this same time, Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, the priest, realized the injustice of this decree, continued to perform marriages in secret for the young lovers of the day in defiance of Claudius and when Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered him put to death.
- Another legend tells us Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While in prison, Valentine apparently fell in love with a young girl — said to be his jailor’s daughter — who visited him. Before his death, it is alleged Valentine wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression we still use today.
Although the truth as to why we celebrate Valentine’s Day remains somewhat murky and mysterious, the legends emphasize Valentine as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, a romantic figure…and, not surprisingly, by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
So, why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day in mid-February?
In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for cleansing and purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors, i.e., the practice of “spring cleaning.”
The Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan ritual also began at the ides of February — February 15th — and was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
But whatever the true story, St. Valentine’s Day remains the reason for a class party in almost every school in the nation and is noted on every commercial calendar in the country. It has become, indeed, as commercialized as every other special calendar date – so why not get into the spirit and celebrate in some small way with one or many people you care about?
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Valerie
