Who was this Saint of Romance? Did he crave love or was it the chocolate covered cherries, was he into elaborate dinners or did he send loving and attractive cards to whomever?
There are plenty of stories about him or however many there were of him. One Roman Saint Valentine was priest who performed secret weddings against the wishes Church. As a result, was imprisoned in the home of a noble, he healed his captor’s blind daughter, causing the whole household to convert to Christianity. Before being tortured and decapitated on February 14, he sent the girl a note signed “Your Valentine.” The note signed in his blood read – just kidding!
There was another saint named Valentine during the same period, he was the Bishop of Terni, same deal, he was also credited with secret weddings and martyrdom via beheading on February 14. [are we getting our holidays mixed up?]
There is also another story, it’s about young naked men on “Lupercalia” an ancient Roman festival, same date, chasing around men and women and smacking them with goat skin. Interesante!
Does either story enhance your interest in the holiday or are you gonna pass? Simply not your decision!
If you were looking for a romantic beginning to the holiday, Valentine’s Day only became associated with love in the late Middle Ages, thanks to the English (101) poet Geoffrey Chaucer. In the 1370s or 1380s, he wrote a poem called “Parliament of Fowls” that contains this line: “For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate.”
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Don 