Love Not Lost

Thank him or blame him, love him or not, Geoffrey Chaucer, in the late 14th century, is credited by many scholars, most notably UCLA professor Henry Ansgar Kelly as the first to link romance to the February 14th celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. Chaucer, famous for his Canterbury Tales, was employed as a writer in the court of Richard II, king of England during the late 1300’s. His poem, The Parliament of Fowls, written in honor of the first anniversary of the engagement of Richard II to Anne of Bohemia, connected images of romance, the court of Venus, springtime flowers, and the mating of birds.

Of course, there is a wonderfully murky history connected to the Saints Valentine, and how February 14th was ever chosen as the day of commemoration. Some say it was in keeping with the Christian penchant for usurping pagan holidays, in this case, the lust-filled Lupercalia, though, as late as the 1960’s, the Roman Catholic Church still had eleven days earmarked for martyrs named Valentine, two or three of whom may have met their maker on or around Feb.14. Chaucer, a “licensed” poet, may have played freely with his Valentines, since the middle of February was hardly mating or blossom time, though high court romance was certainly a year round theme.

Al Capone certainly harbored no romantic illusions when he had Bugs Moran’s Chicago gang wiped out in the notorious St. Valentine’s Day massacre, though his “celebration” may actually have had more historically correct connections.

The traditions we honor today are, of course, tied more to love and romance than they are to martyrdom, or bootleg whiskey. Cupid, hearts, candy, red roses, and the ubiquitous valentine card are today’s currency d’amour. The valentine card itself traces its origins to the same medieval courtly atmosphere that Chaucer, Thomas Hoccleve, and John Gower wrote so much about, and which became popular as early as the 15th century. Today, more than a billion cards are produce annually, second only to the making of Christmas cards.

The Cadbury’s brought out their first heart-shaped boxes of chocolates in the 1860’s, and our friendly neighborhood archer, Cupid, has been practicing his aim for centuries.

In other countries, celebrations of love are held on different days, and are named for different reasons; in China, stellar observances occur in August, the same month that Israeli’s have Tu B’Av, an annual festival of love. In Brazil, love-before-marriage is reason to party in June, and St. Dwynwen, patron saint of Welsh lovers is feted on January 25th. The Japanese, not to be out done, have reversed the usual trends, in which men lead the way bearing gifts to the ladies; in the Land of the Rising Sun, girls give chocolates to the boys, one kind for friends, and a more special kind for paramours.

No matter when, where, or how, the fact that we all find a need to celebrate affairs of the heart is promise that we may yet find elusive peace, love, and understanding.