The mention of Valentine's Day conjures up images of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, roses, and flying infants with bows. It didn't start out that way.
Some historians claim that Valentine's Day is the Catholic church's attempt to reform a pagan holiday into something more Christian. (They say that about every holiday.) According to them, Valentine's Day was meant to replace the Roman festival of Lupercalia. Lupercalia was apparently quite the party. Dogs and goats were sacrificed and their skin and blood used to make soggy whips. The Roman men then ran naked through the streets flogging the women to make them fertile. (I'm sure a lot of children were born about 9 months later, but I doubt it was the dog/goat whips.)
Well, those uptight conservative Christians had to rain on their parade and outlaw Lupercalia. In its stead Valentine's Day was instituted in memorium to one of their Catholic saints. (Sorry you can't have your big bash. Let us make it up to you with extra church.)
St. Valentine was a priest who disobeyed the Roman emperor by performing marriages for young men. The emperor didn't want a band of whipped, home-sick ladies' men fighting his battles. He was in need of fighters--not lovers. So he outlawed marriage for young men. When he found out Valentine was screwing with his agenda, he sentenced him to death. Valentine fell in love with the jailor's daughter (vow of celibacy?) while on death row, and being a hopeless romantic (very hopeless) he passed her the very first "Valentine."
I guess a few years later, while the Pope was looking for a replacement for Lupercalia, Valentine's story landed on his desk. He happened to be in a meeting with the CEO of Hallmark, his friend Hersheysio, and the president of the Rose Gardener's Guild.
"That works," said the Pope. "Go with it."
And so Valentine's Day was born.
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3 comments:
i feel like that's not completely accurate...esp towards the end. but i like the research. i researched it last year so that i could make historically accurate valentines for people. it was not a hit.
Hey don't leave out the owners/slave drivers of the Blood Diamond mines. They had a very important part and a lot of stake in that meeting as well.
I think both holidays are kinda stupid. I gotta like the whole Valentine's thing now though cause i've got a woman.
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