Who was Valentine and how did this special day come about being named Valentine's Day?
Have you ever wondered who or what decided to make or name the 14th of February as Valentine's Day worldwide? So, I decided to do some investigating!
The history of Valentine’s Day—and the story of its patron saint—is so shrouded in mystery that we do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?
Valentine's Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd Century. At the time of Valentine's life, many Romans were converting to Christianity, but the Emperor Claudius II was a pagan and created strict laws about what Christians were allowed to do.
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. 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. (https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2)
An interesting read(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day)
So now to get back to 2022, what does it mean to us, us who are mere mortals? Has the pandemic changed the way we celebrate this day? Personally, for myself, yes, for others not so much. What can you do to celebrate this day?
Traditional celebrations associated with Valentine's Day consisted of Roses, hearts, doves, and the colors red and pink. Rose Quartz is the crystal of love as well as emanating a gentle energy infusing your spiritual being. This gemstone of unconditional love opens the heart and inspires self-love as well as attracting (or renewing) romantic love. It's the ideal Valentine's Day gift for your spouse, longtime love, or even a new love and let’s not forget even a dear friend.
Besides Rose Quartz, there are alternatives if you are unable to source Rose Quartz, Pink Kunzite can strengthen unconditional love and ensure loving communication between couples or friends.
Rhodonite can attract love by healing emotional wounds like heartbreak.
One of the most wonderful gifts that you can receive is to spend quality time with those that you love, it does not have to be about purchasing something expensive, you can write a little note (remember these words growing up: Roses are red, violets are blue, the honey is sweet, and so are you) who is to say we cannot use these words again?
How many of us have lost loved ones, lost our work, homes in this pandemic, how do we move forward with this? We do by sharing what we have, be it our time or a simple word of “Happy Valentines Day!” Make someone’s day, it can be a total stranger, pick a flower and give it to them, watch their face light up!
Do you remember what it is like to receive a surprise Valentines gift and not know who it is from? You walk the entire day, wondering who left it for you? So, I dare you all, make someone’s day a Happy Valentine's Day. Blessings and light to all!