Valentines Day History
A Little History - Associated
with all those in love, being named after the patron
saint of lovers 'St. Valentine'. It was the
Christian Church who popularised this day in the reign
of Emperor Claudius. St. Valentine was a young
priest who defied an edict from Rome and the Emperor
that prohibited young males in the army from marrying.
It was believed that if a soldier were to marry this
would lessen his strength and dedication to the cause
changing them into poor soldiers. St. Valentine defied
the edict and continued to conduct wedding ceremonies
and for this defiance he was executed on February 14
in AD 269.
Valentine's Day is also known as the 'Eve of Roman
Lupercalia'. This was a time of great celebration, a
celebration of youthful love. Chance seemed to play a
large part in this festival as sweethearts were chosen
by a system similar to a lottery. Since Ancient Greek
and Roman times this day has held a central focus
in the folkloric calendar.
More recent traditions involve men and women exchanging
cards which contained love dedications or even marriage
proposals, each highly decorative, hand-made and
personally designed. This tradition commenced in the
Middle Ages. The sender then as now should never
sign the card as it was considered to bring bad luck. Of
course it also stifles any idea of guessing who might be
in love with you. The idea of the secret admirer has
long charmed both men and women alike.
Love divination games were very popular during the
Victorian
period for young lovers. There are many divination
rituals and games. One of the most often used involved
the potential lover writing the name of their favourite
persons on a piece of paper and sealing it in clay which
was then dropped into a bowl of water. The first clay to
rise to the surface when opened would reveal the name of
their future sweetheart or 'Valentine'. Sending a
gift to the person was the next step towards revelation
and happiness in love.
In America and also in England (UK) it is traditionally
believed that a young girl is able to tell what sort of
man she will marry by the first bird she sees on this
day. Each bird has an association with a profession or
type of character but yellow birds in general are
thought to be extremely lucky if seen in flight or
perched nearby on this day.