I like the month of February. It usually has only 28 days, not the more common 30 or 31. It can be stormy ( like this past weekend, wow), but by the end of the month the daylight hangs longer in the sky and every once and a while the temperature breaks the 40 degree mark for more than a day or so. And... February is filled with holidays and birthdays.
In addition to the birthdays of Presidents Lincoln and Washington, February is also the birth month of Ronald Reagan and William Henry Harrison. (Who? I thought he lost the election!)
There are a number of family birthdays during the month too; a daughter, a son-in-law, and 2 grandchildren. Can't forget the state basketball tournaments, a winter Maine stay!!. They all make the month seem to fly by. But tucked in between all the birthdays and a school vacation may be the most important date of all.
February 14th is Valentine’s Day. After the excitement of Groundhog Day (one of my favorites!), February 14th is the day to celebrate love.
I do not profess to be much of a romantic, but the origin of Valentine’s Day has always piqued my curiosity. Seemingly to be a plot by greeting card companies and candy makers to get people to spend money, there had to be some history to its beginning. Why February and who was this ‘fellow’ named Valentine?
Its history may date back as early as the third century in Rome with a priest named Valentine. At that time it was believed that unmarried males made better soldiers and a law was passed prohibiting the marriage of young men before fulfilling their requirement to serve in the Roman army. Valentine defied the orders of the Roman Emperor and continued to perform marriages of young men at his church. His defiant actions were discovered and he was sentenced to death.
The story gets a bit fuzzy here. One belief was that while waiting to die, Valentine fell in love the jailer’s daughter. Just before his death he sent her a letter and signed it “From your Valentine”. The rest is history.
Throughout the years the story of Valentine continued to grow in popularity and embellishment and by the Middle Age’s, Valentine’s story had emerged as one of "true undying love".
But why February? The month of February was probably selected, not because of the anniversary of Valentine’s death, but as a sign of the beginning of spring and a symbol of new life and purification.
But here is another twist to this ‘story of romance'. Without going into great detail, in the early Spring, after the animal sacrifices and other ancient purification rituals, strips of hide were cut from the dead goats, dipped in blood and young lads would take them and race through the streets of the city, gently tapping women with the bloody hides.
According to historians, women looked forward to the gentle tap as it was a sign of increased fertility ( I Will Do Anything for Love!!!). At the conclusion of the festivities, young women would place their names in an urn in the center of the city and the young bachelors would each choose a name. The end result was often marriage. But.. it wasn’t long before the practice of the ‘lottery’ was banned. Sounds like one of today’s ‘reality TV shows!’
February 14th became the official St Valentine’s Day date in 498 A.D. but it was not until 1415 that the first official written greeting card was recorded and that card is still on display in London to this day. Through the years, as printing improved and the postal systems expanded, a new industry emerged and cards and letters became the means of emotional expression since public display was not encouraged. (No PDA in those days, but not the case today. My God, get a room!)
The first mass produced cards hit the American scene in the mid-1800s. Today Valentine’s Day is the second leading card sending holiday in America.
The first mass produced cards hit the American scene in the mid-1800s. Today Valentine’s Day is the second leading card sending holiday in America.
Each year, shortly after Christmas, store shelves are filled with brightly red wrapped heart-shaped boxes of candy and stuffed animals with tags asking you to “Be Mine”. Cards fill the aisles with written messages of “undying love”. I like the new cards that allow you to record you own message. Pretty cool!
Now, I have a confession to make here. This is a holiday I usually remember. I remember the card and the flowers. What I forget is that love is something that should be celebrated every day of the year, not just February 14th.
Happy Valentine’s Day… each and every day!
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