The Bible also recorded the subjects of heart and love, but not as in Valentines day celebration. The love mentioned in the Bible is a commandment, the commandment of love. The love in the Bible is not just a mere feeling and emotion, it is a duty and obligation of every Christian. Jesus said:   

He answered: ” Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27.

How many Valentine’s cards do you send out each year, wanting somebody to ‘know’ that you have the hots for them?  February 14th is the second biggest day of the year in the greeting-card world yet the true origin is something of a mystery still.

One legend has it that Valentine was a priest in Rome in the third century AD.  This was a bad time there for Christians, who were persecuted and he should have kept a low profile.  However, when, in 270Ad Emperor Claudius II decreed that unmarried men made better soldiers.

To ensure a good supply for the army he outlawed marriage for young men causing much heartache.  Valentine defied the order and performed marriage ceremonies for the young in secret but he was found out and Claudius ordered him executed.  Some say that when he was imprisoned he fell in love with the daughter of the jailor.

Just before his execution he wrote her a note signed ‘from your Valentine’ and thus was the Valentine’s Day greeting born.  Some feel that the day is commemorated to celebrate his death and there is no doubt that in Europe he was one of the most middle ages most popular saints, regarded as a sympathetic and romantic hero.

Another theory is that the St.Valentine feast day was introduced, by the church,  to Chistianize the celebration of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the beginning of spring and a time for purification .  This Roman fertility festival was celebrated on February 15th each year, dedicated to the gods Faunus, Romulus and Remus.

It’s said that that young women would place their names in an urn on that day. Young men would pull the names out and whoever they picked would become their partner for a year which often resulted in marriage.

Whichever version is true, if either, there is no doubt that by the 17th century the tradition of St. Valentine’s day was well established in Europe and that by the early 1700’s handmade cards were being freely exchanged.  It was 1840 before Esther A Howland began mass-producing them.

Today over 1 billion cards are sent each year and many a head gets scratched in frustration at not being sure who the sender is.  All the same it’s a fun tradition and an excuse to let your feelings out.  Whoever St. Valentine really was we have a lot to thank him for.

February is here and with it, one of the most beautiful days of the year, 14 February, St. Valentine, the day which is the symbol of celebration of love.

 February has been the month to celebrate love as early as the Middle Ages.  Valentines ranks second behind Christmas’ day as for the number of greeting cards sent.

But how did it came into use for us to celebrate love by giving flowers and candies to our loved ones?

“The story of Valentine’s Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The emperor was Claudius II Gothicus. The Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship state religion’s idols, and he had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ, and not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs.

During the last weeks of Valentinus’s life a remarkable thing happened. One day a jailer for the Emperor of Rome knocked at Valentinus’s door clutching his blind daughter in his arms. He had learned of Valentinus’s medical and spiritual healing abilities, and appealed to Valentinus to treat his daughter’s blindness. She had been blind since birth. Valentinus knew that her condition would be difficult to treat but he gave the man his word he would do his best. The little girl was examined, given an ointment for her eyes and a series of re-visits were scheduled.

Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might also be brought to Valentinus for lessons. Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read stories of Rome’s history to her. He described the world of nature to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about GOD. She saw the world through his eyes, trusted in his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength.

“Valentinus, does GOD really hear our prayers?” Julia said one day. “Yes, my child, He hears each one, “he replied.

“Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you’ve told me about!”

“GOD does what is best for us if we will believe in HIM,” Valentinus said.

“Oh, Valentinus, I do believe,” Julia said intensely. “I do.” She knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together, each praying.

Several weeks passed and the girl’s sight was not restored. Yet the man and his daughter never wavered in their faith and returned each week.

Then one day, Valentinus received a visit from Roman soldiers who arrested him, destroyed his medicines and admonished him for his religious beliefs. When the little girl’s father learned of his arrest and imprisonment, he wanted to intervene but there was nothing he could do.

On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia – knowing his execution was imminent. Valentinus asked the jailer for a paper, pen and ink. He quickly jotted a farewell note and handed it to the jailer to give to his blind daughter. He urged her to stay close to GOD, and he signed it “From Your Valentine.” His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory.

When the jailer went home, he was greeted by his little girl. The little girl opened the note and discovered a yellow crocus inside. The message said, “From your Valentine.” As the little girl looked down upon the crocus that spilled into her palm she saw brilliant colors for the first time in her life! The girl’s eyesight was restored! A miracle!

He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship. In 496 Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as Saint Valentine’s Day. On each Valentine’s Day, messages of affection, love and devotion are still exchanged around the world.” 

But there is more to know about this beautiful day. Enjoy the following funny facts and superstitions about lovers’ day.

•In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

•In Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St Valentine’s Day to make them dream of their future husband.

•If an apple is cut in half, the number of seeds found inside the fruit will indicate the number of children that individual will have.

•The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C

•To be awoken by a kiss on Valentine’s Day is considered lucky.

•If you see a goldfinch on Valentine’s Day, you will marry a millionaire. (so you single ladies out there, out bird-watching that day….lol)

•If you see a flock of doves on Valentine’s Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.

References: Britannica CD 98 ® Multimedia Edition,   “Saint Valentine”, (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1994 – 1997), © 1994 – 1997 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

Cover of Good Morning to You, Valentine

February has long been thought of as the month of romance, with the 14th or Valentine’s Day being widely celebrated.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first Valentine’s Day cards. In the early 1800’s commercial valentines were sold for children to pass out at school. Adults would celebrate this day of love by sending handwritten poems or simple gifts of flowers. Often the community would gather at the local church for a social or dance, with the older married folks keeping close tabs on the younger single lads in case they got carried away with Valentine’s Day cheer.

But sadly Valentine’s Day has become commercialized with stores and restaurants fighting for their share of the money. No sooner has Christmas been taken out the backdoor and Valentine’s Day is ushered in the front. There is hardly a man or women who is not keen on making the most of the day. Loved ones will be presented with flowers, candy and an array of gifts, while couples holding hands wait in line to celebrate the joy of their love with delicious cuisine.

As we prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day in our own ways, let’s look back on some simple Valentine’s Day traditions.

1.      In ancient Rome after the death of St Valentine, the celebration of the Feast of Lupercalia was held on the 15th of February. In these times the lives of young boys and girls were kept strictly separate. It was custom on the eve of the Feast of Lupercalia for Roman girls to place their names in a jar. The boys would then draw a name and they would be partners for the duration of the feast. Sometimes these pairings lasted for as long as a year with many of the young couples falling in loving, and marrying as adults.

2.      Hundreds of years ago in England, children dressed as adults on Valentine’s Day and went from house to house singing. One verse went like this: Good morning to you, Valentine. Curl your locks as I do mine. Two before and three behind. Good morning to you, Valentine.

3.      You have heard the saying, “Wearing your heart on your sleeve”; this comes from a tradition in the Middle Ages. Men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their Valentine would be, and they would wear the name on their sleeve for the day.

4.      In the middle to late 1800’s the love seat was invented to accommodate the wide dresses in fashion at the time. Later it was used as a courting seat on Valentine’s Day for couples to sit together, but not too closely.

5.      In Wales wooden spoons were carved by the men for their beloved. They were decorated with hearts, keys or keyholes. The gift meant, “You unlock my heart”.

6.      In some counties on Valentine’s Day a women might receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she kept the gift it meant she would marry him.

7.      Some believed if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, she would marry a sailor. A sparrow she would marry a poor man, and be very happy. But if a goldfinch she saw, she had hit the jackpot and was destined to marry a millionaire.

8.      An old game played at Valentine’s Day parties by children. Think of the names of six boys or girls you wanted to marry. Twist the stem of an apple, and recite the names until the stem falls off. You will marry the person whose name you were staying when the stem came off. Then cut the apple and count the seeds, these are how many children you will have.

Whatever your Valentine’s Day traditions are I hope you have a wonderful day full of love and good will. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Image via Wikipedia

http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2011/01/28/hearts_1.jpg

There are varying opinions as to the history of Valentine’s Day. But the one thought to hold the most truth is the legend of St Valentine.

In 270 AD the Roman Emperor Claudius II was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns to make Rome the superior ruling force. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time enlisting soldiers for his armies. He believed the reason to be was Roman men did not want to leave their families. His answer to the problem was to ban marriage.

A kindly bishop named Valentine realized the injustice caused by the Emperor’s decree. He witnessed the trauma of young lovers as they gave up all hope of marriage and a family. In direct opposition to the Emperor, Valentine began to marry couples in secrecy.

His actions did not stay secret for long and he was soon imprisoned for his crimes. While in prison he became friends with his jailor Asterius. Asterius had a blind daughter, and he asked Valentine for his prayers to heal her.

There is some telling of the legend in which the bishop was able to heal the daughter, but mostly it was thought he only befriended her. It was this deep friendship rooted in Christian love that kept Valentine sane during his imprisonment. Whatever the case may be, his feelings caused him to take pen to paper with a farewell message to her. It was signed, Your Valentine.

Valentine was executed on February 14, 270 AD.  On the first anniversary of his death, Romans offered handwritten greetings of love and affection to the women in their lives. Soon February 14th, became known as a day for all lovers and the martyred Valentine its Patron Saint.

Later with the spread of Christianity the tradition continued, and would become known as St Valentine’s Day, and then simply Valentine’s Day.

Image via Wikipedia

A saint by name St. Valentine married at the time of war. But, there were rules laid down by the Roman Emperor Claudius that no one should marry during the wartime. But, Bishop Valentine went against the Rules and performed many other marriage ceremonies also. Due to this, Valentine died on February 14th.

Remembrance

St. Valentine is remembered with respect because he sacrificed his life to the Roman emperor Claudius. Nowadays, the day is celebrated in different countries with different traditions. So, lovers celebrate this day in the memory of him every year.

There is also another source which says that at the time of his execution, St. Valentine had a visitor who handed him a note which had “From your Valentine” on it. It seems to be the original belief.

What ever is the history and however people may celebrate, the most significant rule of the day is to exchange love notes which is “Valentine” through lovers.

The History Of Valentine’s Day.
  Marriage was prohibited because Claudius believed that men could not be good soldiers being attached to a family. St. Valentine went against the Emperor’s ruling and would marry young couples. Even while in prisoned, Valentine converted many of those in jail with him. Making friends with the Emperor’s blind daughter. When Valentine tried converting Claudius, he had him executed, February 14th. In his honor the Christians named this day Valentine’s day.

Today’s Valentine’s Day.
  Today many celebrate Valentine’s Day with roses, chocolates, and romantic dinners. A way to show your everlasting love. Schools take a day to show students how to show people you care by buying pre-made cards or making them, so that they can be passed out to their peers. It is not just a day for loved ones, it can be a day to show someone else you care… Even if it is just as friends.

The value of Self-Love 2

While undergoing a troubled soul last year and struggled to grasp the worst gift Santa Claus presented to me, I deliriously asked the four-corners of my brain—“why everything went wrong?”

Ngeek. Of course there’s nothing wrong. I only missed to define clearly my “frontier” that’s why everything twisted into different directions.

One day while reading the amazing blog of Bo Sanchez “Do you want happy relationships? Love yourself”, I realized that maybe I failed to love myself, I failed to recognize my own worth and failed to care for my own needs. So I must fill my heart with self-love first to recognize God’s gift. Rissa’s book talks about why God let women wait longer for that elusive Prince Charming. Hmmm...sounds interesting because the topic is fitted for ladies like..uhmmm..me

So instead of squirming to the ground in despair and cursing the cruelty of the circumstances, I shrugged it off and thanked God He made me what I am. See? I praised God He created me a pint-sized girl not destined to fit in every man’s lurid desires, with no career to boast and no incredible diploma tucked under my arms and no gorgeous body to entice earthly-brained guys, because with all these imperfections, my wisdom increases everyday, my shortcomings made me appreciate God’s love and see the complexities and miseries in life. My imperfections help me to be closer to the Lord and my faith even more.

Anxiously Waiting

Some years ago, when the horrifying idea of “what’s-coming-ahead” started knocking my peaceful mind, I began to ask this “antique” question (because this question had been around for ages, it sounds like an artifact), “why there seems to be an endless conquest to be noticed?”

Nyaaah! Very funny, and just how long had I ever been banging my head with that question? Hmmm, I guess even before Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson of Sweden developed Bluetooth or even before Bill Gates managed to top Forbes Magazine’s annual listing of World’s Billionaires or even before the dissolution of the Union State of Serbia and Montenegro materialized (do you know that Serbia had caused political tension in Europe during the reign of Austria’s Emperor, Franz Joseph, dragging the continent into the last showdown of power, later known as World War I?—just a little lecture about World History. hehe). Haaaay!

But you know, human beings with normal heartbeat sometimes really turned into nuts when surrounded with people who are infinitely psychotic. Years before, I couldn’t think how many times I contemplated “murdering” people who pestered me with stupid inquiries about Love and its ridiculous connection to the day of hearts. Why on earth they seemed bothered with my personal life? Bored engaging in a cross fire of words with people who were not present when God spread common sense, I found a decent way of keeping my mood from exploding to the clouds—avoid them and their crazy prodding about…grrrr…romance.

Why? Because it will just ruin my precious days with their pea-size brain. But no matter how I tried ignoring this useless tittle-tattle, it somehow touched the deepest part of my nervous system that I began analyzing the mystery of my single hood. Hahaha! In desperation, I wondered what it would be like to wake up one day with a Red Valentine shivering under my feet. Nyaaaak! So my prayers became severely aggressive, shrieking help to every saint I could find in the Catholic faith to do something, before my age suffered a convulsion.

So I waited. And waited

And waited and when finally I spotted an opportunity, which I thought God’s final answer to my eternal pleading, I wasted no time. I bounced too eagerly like a hungry Labrador, thinking it could solve the puzzle of the mystery of the birds and the bees. It was as if I was a careless car race driver doing a daredevil act, unaware I was already routing a wrong road, away from where I should suppose to enjoy my trip, so when I saw the protruding danger, it’s too late to wheel back. Argggh!

Wow! That was a hard fall.

So why God let me wait for so long?

When I started reading Bo’s blogs and Rissa’s book, I laughed at myself, for my silliness, for stupidly thinking sadness and despair only belong to people who lacked physical appeal or no someone on the day of hearts. Rissa herself, despite being blindingly pretty and gorgeous, even waited for so long before she met the man who rescued her from Valentine Doldrums, that’s when she was 36, got married at 38, had a daughter at 39 without complications and now at 42 still looked very much young and living a wonderful life.

Then, I started looking at the mirror if there’s some sign of “progress”, uhmm, still no wrinkles and no dark spots mapping in my face, still no cellulites around my thighs and arms and my skin still looked fresh, firmer and smoother and radiates when stroke by sunlight, I love the color of my hair and my eyes still flicker when I smile, ahem..so nothing to worry about.

Beautiful day at the park ( I personally took this pic lol!). The magnificent sunrise offers a comforting relief. A week before Valentine’s day, my boardmates (Junna and Elvie) and I, spent quiet moment, talking and giggling, at this beautiful area (after joining aerobics session)

I couldn’t remember how many times I read the story of Queen Elizabeth I of England who remained single through out her life, of Princess Elisabeth of Denmark (granddaughter of King Frederick IX of Denmark), of Princess Irene of Greece (daughter of King Paul I & sister of Queen Sophia of Spain), of Princess Augusta of England (daughter of King George III), of Princess Victoria of England (daughter of King Edward VII), of Jane Austen, of Florence Nightingale. They sailed to the sunset of their lives–oh gosh-alone, despite being glamorous, famous and wealthy. Of course I was inspired with the way they embraced their fate..but oh God!I won’t be like them..not me when I am carefully designing my whole life to nurture another, hmmm..life…haaaay!

Then I read the reasons why Rissa’s concept of waiting deliberately changed. It’s all about the story of potters in Japan. It says:

“Japanese potters who had come up with a wonderful, profitable pot, painstakingly molded the clay and put the vessel in a safe place and allowed it to rest for many days to cool down before putting it on fire, but impatient potters who could not wait, directly put it on the furnace making the bubbles to expand and burst when finally put on fire, the result—a badly deformed product.”

So I began thinking, maybe God molded me carefully, allowing me to become stronger with adversities so that when time will come for me to meet his “gift”, I will not break and crack under pressure.

Life itself is a celebration

Now I am certain that Mr. Cupid carefully aiming his target to a proper direction without any malfunction anymore. But because the flag of my eagerness to waltz down-the- aisle is soaring high, I made this humble request “Cupid, please make sure you will shoot the target before the next Valentine’s Day or before the next lunar eclipse or before scientists could discover another planet in the solar system”

Haaay, life is so fascinating if we just know how to live it wisely. So how would you interpret your own Valentine Blues? Are you exasperated and fed up with life?

For people who have someone, enjoy the arrow darted by Cupid while it’s there, grip it hardly, thrust it tightly to your chest (until you bleed. LOL!), so that it won’t slip the next Valentine’s Day. For people (I’m included. haha!) who are still on the waiting list for God’s “special gift”, why not celebrate the day of hearts with close friends, after all, St. Valentine did not die because of a failed romance but because he showed love and loyalty to his friends. Let’s just enjoy our journey and walked on the right road that God prepares, and trust me, we will arrive on our destination according to His great plan.

There’s a wonderful verse I found in the bible worth pondering: “Do not arouse, do not stir up Love, before its own time” (Song of songs 3:5) see? Everything happens for a specific purpose. Life itself is a precious gift from God, worthy to be celebrated. So discard Valentine doldrums and just appreciate what you have at the moment. Like what I am doing every year, since I learned how to appreciate red roses and red stuff toys.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! enjoy the celebration!

A bouquet of roses-a common gift of sweetness among couples. When can I receive this?hmmm…Maybe when asteroid collided with the planet Earth.

A little history about Valentine’s day

During the third century, the Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor Claudius II, a cruel monarch who strictly ordered that young men should not marry and must serve in the armed forces instead. His Empire was plagued by raging invaders that he needed volunteers to strengthen his territory. But married men refused to volunteer for fear of deserting their families, so Claudius sternly made a terrible ordinance of “no weddings” in his Empire. But a priest named Valentine daringly defied this order to fulfill his religious duties, he discreetly performed weddings to young couples who became his friends, when the Emperor discovered this stark disobedience, he ordered the priest to be arrested and condemned to die for high treason.

While in prison, waiting for his execution, Valentine reportedly remained cheerful and continued performing wedding rituals to couples, who camouflaged as his visiting friends. He then became close to a daughter of a jail guard whom he told wonderful stories about love and friendship. Fascinated with his amazing act of sacrifices, she frequently visited Valentine to hear more stories. On the day he was executed, he left letters to all his friends, thanking them for their friendship. He simply signed it with “Love, from your Valentine”, an immortal line that survived up to the modern times.

Firing Squad!

Just where the hell this despicable line originated? And why on earth would we ever feel being murdered for having no someone on the day of hearts? Is it a punishable crime to be loveless?

When I was a ten year-old-girl growing up in the province, I heard someone screeched on Valentine’s day, “Firing Squad!”, oh God what was it? I shuddered in terror! Thinking President Marcos (Oh gosh! Am I that old??), had dispatched his legion of notorious army to kill “unattached” people, I rushed to my grandmother’s side and asked about it. My grandmother, who was a woman of great Christian values and unmatched wisdom, tenderly hugged me, ruffled my hair and gently said: “Only people with sordid brain think that way Apo, so don’t listen to them”.

Her words lingered in my mind for the next thirteen years of my life that when I became a teenager, I was unconcerned when February 14 arrived. I even felt grisly about the prospect of going out with someone on that date and just couldn’t understand why love-struck couples seemed glued into each other, “It’s just an ordinary day, why such a fuss”, I often snapped.

I was sternly warned by my mother not to think about boys while still in school, so right then I couldn’t wait to graduate in college. But when I started working, the reality of life taught me to be more cautious in splashing into immature relationships, so I made a covenant with God to let me see Mr. Right at the age of 27, again, I couldn’t wait to become 27… Then I became 28 and…oh Gosh! Until I saw my age dangerously dangling in the last line of the Gregorian calendar, darn! Prince Charming was still no where in sight! Until I increasingly became stressed, tensed and edgy, sending my mood to purgatory. I also started asking this lunatic question “When will I ever combat Valentine doldrums?” Oh Jesus! I just couldn’t believe I entertained this outrageous question only silly people would ask!

So Where is Mr. Cupid?

But where is Mr. Cupid? Was he in a coma?

I was raised in a strict Catholic family who believed that a woman, to be considered a priceless gem, should keep herself tidy and pure until her wedding day, so when I entered college, I made this serious pleading to God to protect me and keep my journey safe. It seems God listened intently that, luckily, I never meet any interesting guys along the way. So, while girls my age changed boyfriends faster than they changed underwear and lead a disheveled destiny with series of heartaches and emotional trauma from unsure relationships, I was completely free from troubles, no complications, no clutters and..oh yes, no devastating heartaches (sulk!)

After living a life of a “MONK” hehe..(that is complete abstinence from dates, relationship adventures and guys hopping) I felt it was high time to explore the real world, launch my missile (joke) and..ahem..entertain suitors. By then, I was on the verge of suffering a nervous breakdown when I noticed that eligible men seem overlooked my precious existence. Then I landed a job in a university where prospective partners are as hard to find as spacious parking lots. As weeks rolled into months, and into years and into a decade, until my age begins its new life in a clinical device, painstakingly invented by English physician and physicist, Sir Thomas Clifford Allbutt, I finally fed up with my distressing destiny and ready to go to war!

The firing-squad words I heard many years ago started creating a chaos in my system that I silently mumbled “oh me-gosh am I included in the statistics of long forgotten generations of undesirables?” To salvage what is left for my faltering self-esteem, I tried mollifying myself—with all humility—that maybe my time has not yet to come. Nyahh! With this age?

Uhmm.. Maybe next year, I assured my self. And next year.

And next year, until all “next years” heated up and reached the boiling point of 2010. Oh Jesus, where is my Prince Charming? Why there’s so much delay? Should I need another decade to meet him? Oh no please, not another World Olympics season, my biological clock will be entering red zone by that time! Tired confronting with life, I just poked fun with my frustrating fate and pacified myself: “Maybe Mr. Cupid encountered troubles while positioning his arrow where to shoot or maybe the bow suffered malfunction that each time he aimed to shoot someone’s heart for me, it missed the target and darted to another planet”.

The value of of Self-Love

I started yanking the loose thread of hopes when I noticed that after three leap years, four world Olympics, twelve Valentine Days, witnessing four Philippine Presidents wrestling with controversies, I was still welded in one corner, completely unnoticed, gosh! Am I that invisible? Do I look dreadful and ghastly?

If there’s one great virtue I learned in life, it’s the value of patience. When everything seemed foggy and bleak in my journey, aside from imploring God’s help, I always consoled myself with this virtue. My patience never falters in the midst of unthinkable hopelessness, so everyday, I darted my gaze at the horizon (again and again), hoping one day Prince Charming will finally land in my backyard like a shooting star.

But after counting many sunsets, sunrise, rainbows, jet plane and yes bucket of tears, the spaceship of Prince Charming seemed took a reroute to Neptune that I never saw it coming! I was exasperated and wanted to curse my genes, my DNA, my birth date and whatever there in my body. Until I read the interesting blog of Bo Sanchez(Kerygma magazine’s publisher)—“Do you want Happy Relationships? LOVE yourself!” and Rissa Singson-Kawpeng’s (Kerygma’s editor-in-chief) book “Confessions of an Impatient Bride” finally, I found surefire answers to what I’ve been asking, in one glorious decade “Why God let me wait for so long? And why, for heaven’s sake, I had many years of Valentine blues?

Continued on the second part…

Long ago Europeans would see birds roaming around and came to believe that they chose their mates on February 14th. This belief evolved into the belief that people did the same. Towns would place the name of it’s citizens in a box and the participants would draw one. That name would be the name of the person who would be the drawer’s lover for the year. The men would keep the lover’s name in their sleeves in beliefs that it would protect them. The girls in return would give  the men love tokens throughout the year however, it changed to where only the men would give love tokens. (If only Valentine’s Day would last throughout the year now).This is also where the custom of giving gifts came from.

But before this was the first exchange for Valentine’s Day. This event was actually from a pagan tradition around the third century. (As were most holidays surprisingly). The patrons of Rome believed in a god called Lupercus who was believed to guard their sheep. To insure their sheep’s safety, they would hold the Lupercalia feast and sacrifice of dogs and goats-a dedication to the god to win favor. Blood would be wiped onto the children’s foreheads and then washed with milk (one tradition I am glad did not pass into modern times).In honor of the goddess Juno names were put into a box, which is where the later tradition derived from, and the names that were pulled and matched would represent them to be partners for the rest of the year.

To upgrade the tradition to a more Christian practice,church officials changed the name of the holiday to St. Valentines Day. Names of saints would be placed in a box instead of names of lovers and boys and girls would draw one and were charged with the duty of emulating that saint throughout the next year.

There were several different legends of men who were St. Valentine. In one version, Saint Valentine was imprisoned for helping Christians. During this time, he healed a jailer’s daughter from blindness. However, this is changed to another version of the story where he falls in love with the jailer’s daughter and wrote her love letters signed from”your Valentine”. This is where the popular tradition of trading Valentine’s cards comes from. An estimated 1 billion cards are sent a year within the U.S. for this day. In either version, he was murdered.

Another version is that he was imprisoned for secretly marrying couples when it was illegal-and he died in this story as well.

Each of these versions and beliefs were compiled into the holiday that we celebrate now-a far different one than imagined in the eras before us. These traditions remind me of the game of Telephone where throughout the years they have evolved into something completely different. It has surely become one of the most marketable holidays along with Christmas. According to the National Retail Federation (2008) conducted research that found that the average person spends over $120 on their lover or lovers and people nationally spend a combined average of $17 billion dollars on this one day. What a long way we have come from drawing names out of a box to drawing large bills from our wallets.

Image via Wikipedia