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‘The History of
. Valentine's Day
. Every February candy, flowers, and gifts are
exchanged between loved ones, all in the
{ name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysteri-
ous saint and why do we celebrate this holi-
day? The history of Valentine's Day — and its
{| patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. But we
do know that February has long been a month
of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it
today; contains vestiges of both Christian and
| ancient Roman tradition.
One legend contends that Vilerie was a
priest during the third century in Rome. When
Emperor Claudius Il decided that single men
made better soldiers than those with families,
: he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine
defied Claudius and continued to perform mar-
riages for young lovers in secret. When Valen-
IIe
hon CATT ANT QE Ans 7) // ha 4
The Kings Mountain Herald
tine's actions were discovered, Claudius or-
dered that he be put to death
According to one legend, Valentine actually
sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While
in prison, itis believed that Valentine fell in‘love
with a young girl — possibly his jailor's daugh-
ter — who visited him during his confinement.
Before his death, itis alleged that he wrote her
a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,’
an expression that is still in use today.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is
celebrated in the middle of February to com-
memorate the anniversary of Valentine's death
or burial others claim that the Christian church
may have decided to celebrate Valentine's
feast day in the middle of February in an effort
to‘christianize' celebrations of the pagan: Lu-
percalia festival.
In ancient Rome, February was the official be-
ginning of spring and was considered a time for
purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by.
~
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sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and
a type of wheat called spelt throughout their in-
teriors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of
February, February 15, was a fertility festival
dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agri-
culture, as well as to the Roman founders Ro-
mulus and Remus.
The boys sliced goat's hide into strips, dipped
them in the sacrificial blood and took to the
streets, gently slapping both women and fields
of crops with the goathide strips. Far from
being fearful, Roman women welcomed being
touched with the' hides because it was believed
the strips would make them more fertile in the
coming year. Later in the day, according to leg-
end, all the young women in the city would
place their names in a big um. The city's bach-
elors would then each choose a name out of
the urn and become paired for the year with his
chosen woman. These matches often ended in
marriage.
RR
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The oldest known valentine still in existence
today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of
Orleans in 1415 to his wife while he was im-
prisoned in the Tower of London following his
capture at the Battle of Agincourt.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began tobe |
popularly celebrated around the seventeenth
century. By the middle of the eighteenth cen-
tury, it was common for friends and lovers in all
social classes to exchange small tokens of af-
fection or handwritten notes.
By the end of the century, printed cards
began to replace written letters due to improve-
ments in printing technology. Ready-made
cards were an easy way for people to express |
their emotions in a time when direct expression
of one's feelings was discouraged. Americans
probably began exchanging hand-made valen-
tines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A.
Howland began to sell the first mass-produced
valentines in America.
~
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