February 14th is generally celebrated worldwide as
Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. The day celebrates love and
affection. We'll talk about the origins of the feast and other facts about the
feast and its celebration. A number of theories exist about the origin of
Valentine's Day. According to The New York Times, Valentine's Day
is celebrated today thanks to Pope Gelasius I and Saint Valentine of Terni.
It
is believed that Pope Gelasius I designated Valentine's Day to replace
Lupercalia - an ancient Roman festival. Lupercalia was a debaucherous pagan
feast which was celebrated at the eve of spring, in which a ritual was
performed in a bid to promote fertility. It involved naked men whipping women
with blood-soaked hides of sacrificed goats and dogs (until they bled). Men
would then randomly pick women's names to decide who would be paired up for the
rest of the festival. If the match was successful, they would be paired up for
life.
The second theory about the origin of Valentine's Day
is that it is clebrated in honor of Saint Valentine of Terni who died for love.
He defied Emperor Claudius II who had banned marriage for Roman soldiers during
wartime as he thought it was a distraction. Bishop Valentine went against the
emperor's wishes and performed secret weddings, making him a proponent of love.
He was jailed and allegedly killed on the 14th of February. Some say while in
jail, he fell in love with the jailer's daughter and wrote her a love letter on
the day of his execution (February 14th) signed "from your
Valentine".
Here are other interesting facts about Valentine's
Day:
1. In the U.S. alone, approximately 1 billion
Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually.
2. Singles Awareness Day or Singles Appreciation
Day (SAD) is celebrated the day after Valentine's Day - February 15th. The day
was set aside for singles, that is those who are not involved in a romantic
relationship. On this humorous holiday, singles wear green, as it is the
complementary opposite of red. They pamper themselves, travel, volunteer, and
partake in other activities. Others wear black to symbolize an absence of
celebration.
3. The expression "to wear your heart on your
sleeve" dates from a Valentine's Day celebration in the Middle Ages
wherein young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentine
would be. They would then wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for a week
for everyone to see. The expression literally means being honest about one's
feelings.
4. The record for the most people kissing
simultaneously was set in Mexico City on February 14th 2009 with 39,879 people locking
lips.
5. "Quirkyalone Day" was started by a
feminist, Sasha Cagen and is also celebrated on February 14. "I created International Quirkyalone Day back in 2003 as an alternative to Valentine’s Day. Not because I hate Valentine’s Day per se, but because Valentine’s Day has always had this sickly-sweet commercial feeling that leaves people feeling left out and disappointed, whether they are single or coupled. Quirkyalone Day leaves no one out. You can participate if you are single or partnered (quirkytogether)!" explains Cagen.
Let us know what your thoughts are about these
facts. Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?
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