"Who... who... who wrote the book of love?"
Catchy song lyric, and very poignant and proper for this very day, February 14th, when we celebrate the Feast of St. Valentine. Millions of people purchase flowers, chocolates, items dotted with hearts of pink and red... all in the effort to say "I love you" (and make sure they are not in 'the dog house' the next day!). However, did you ever wonder where exactly this holiday came from? Where does it find its roots? What is the origin of this fluffy, seemingly saccharin and Hallmark-ian holiday?
According to The History Channel, there are those who claim that the Christian church placed the Feast of St. Valentine in the middle of February to "christianize" the Pagan holiday and celebration of Lupercalia.
Catchy song lyric, and very poignant and proper for this very day, February 14th, when we celebrate the Feast of St. Valentine. Millions of people purchase flowers, chocolates, items dotted with hearts of pink and red... all in the effort to say "I love you" (and make sure they are not in 'the dog house' the next day!). However, did you ever wonder where exactly this holiday came from? Where does it find its roots? What is the origin of this fluffy, seemingly saccharin and Hallmark-ian holiday?
According to The History Channel, there are those who claim that the Christian church placed the Feast of St. Valentine in the middle of February to "christianize" the Pagan holiday and celebration of Lupercalia.
Picture from mockingbirdsatmidnight.com
"Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage."
During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage."
During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.
Want more amazing tidbits on Valentine's Day? Check out this link at The History Channel's website, where you will find videos, pictures, quotes, and awesome love stories.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!!
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