Cupid (3)

Happy V-Day everyone! No, I don't have anyone either but it doesn't mean we can't celebrate right? So how did we mark mid-Feb as being the day for lovers? Well I'm sure you've all heard the tale about mating seasons between the birds and what not, so I won't go there.

Back during the Roman Empire at the festival of Lupercian (a party for the God of Fertility) young men would go out and choose a mate. But when Claudius became Emporor he outlawed marriges because he was afraid the men wouldn't want to leave their wives to go away to war.

But just like the songs say "you can't keep love away" men still got married thanks to the help of Bishop Valentine. (oooh... now it all comes together) With the "secret" weddings going on, Claudius (upon finding out) had Valentine put in jail and then to death!

While in jail however Valentine fell in love with the jailers daughter and right before his execution wrote her a love letter which ended in the words "From Your Valentine"

In 496 AD Pope Gelasius replaced the roman festival by honoring the day for St Valentine the martyr. But in 1969 those silly catholics removed it from their book of "official" church holidays. (that's where vows of celebacy get you I guess)

However it's still popular today for children give out cards to fellow classmates that leave people like me and Charlie Brown always left wondering why we didn't get one from the little red-headed girl.

So how did "V-Day cards" get so special? Maybe it was in that last note Valetine wrote for the jailers daughter or another tale is the children wrote them to him while in jail because he was so well loved by everyone in the community. Who knows? Who cares?! I'm still not getting one from the little red-headed girl!!

Ooh and while I'm on a roll how bout this one. Back in the Middle Ages men would draw names out of a bowl deciding which girl would be thier "valetine" for that year. They would walk around for that entire week with the girls name pinned to their sleeve. Therefore coining the phrase "wearing your heart on your sleeve"

Yow! I've this went on way too long! Don't worry, no FFF this week. I think I've already said enough. HAPPY V-DAY!!