On the
ancient Athens calendar, the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of
Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred
marriage of
Zeus and
Hera.
In
Ancient Rome,
February 15 was
Lupercalia.
Plutarch wrote:
Lupercalia, of which many write that it was anciently celebrated by shepherds, and has also some connection with the Arcadian Lycaea. At this time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs. And many women of rank also purposely get in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck, believing that the pregnant will thus be helped in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy.
[3]The word Lupercalia comes from lupus, or wolf, so the holiday may be connected with the legendary wolf that suckled
Romulus and Remus. Priests of this cult, luperci would travel to the lupercal, the cave where the she-wolf who reared Romulus and Remus allegedly lived, and sacrifice animals (two goats and a dog). The blood would then be scattered in the streets, to bring fertility and keep the wolves away from the fields.
[4] Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more general Festival of
Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier "or "the chaste Juno," was celebrated on February 13-14. Pope
Gelasius I (492-496) abolished Lupercalia. Some historians argue that
Candlemas (then held on February 14, later moved to February 2) was promoted as its replacement, but this feast was already being celebrated in
Jerusalem by AD 381. The pope also declared in
496 that the feast of
St. Valentine would be on February 14.
On St. Valentine's Day in 1349, roughly 2,000 Jews were burned to death by Christian mobs in Strausbourg. These mobs, led by nobles who owed large sums to Jewish moneylenders (usury being a sin for Christians), blamed the Jews for poisoning the city's wells and causing the bubonic plague.
[9]Using the language of the law courts for the rituals of
courtly love, a "High Court of Love" was established in Paris on Valentine's Day in 1400. The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women. Judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading.
[10][11]The earliest surviving valentine dates from 1415. It is a poem written by
Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife. At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt
[12].
It is probable that the various legends about
St. Valentine were invented during this period. Among these legends:
On the evening before Valentine was to be martyred for being a
Christian, he passed a love note to his jailer's daughter that read, "From your Valentine."
During a ban on marriages of Roman soldiers by the Emperor
Claudius II, St. Valentine secretly helped arrange marriages.
[13]Valentine's Day is mentioned by the character Ophelia in
Hamlet: "Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day."
In 1836,
relics of
St. Valentine of Rome were donated by
Pope Gregory XVI to the
Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in
Dublin,
Ireland. In the 1960s, the church was renovated and relics restored to prominence.
[14]In
1969, as part of a larger effort to pare down the number of saint days of purely legendary origin, the
Church removed St. Valentine's Day as an official holiday from its
calendar. February 14 is now dedicated only to
Saint Cyril and
Saint Methodius.
Valentines Day Around the world:Thanks to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine's Day has emerged in
Japan and
Korea as a day on which women, and less commonly men, give candy, chocolate or
flowers to people they like. This has become an obligation for many women. Those who work in offices end up giving chocolates to all their male co-workers, sometimes at significant personal expense. This chocolate is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), in Japan, from the words giri ("obligation") and choko, a common short version of chokorēto (チョコレート), meaning "chocolate". This contrasts with honmei-choko, which is given to a person someone loves or has a strong relationship with. Friends, especially girls, exchange chocolate that is referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); tomo means "friend" in Japanese.
By a further marketing effort, a reciprocal day called
White Day has emerged. On
March 14, men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day. Many men, however, give only to their girlfriends. Originally, the return gift was supposed to be white chocolate or marshmallows; hence "White Day". However, men have interpreted the name differently and
lingerie has become a common gift.
In
Korea, there is an additional
Black Day on April 14, when those who did not receive anything for Valentine's Day or have anyone to give a gift to gather together to eat
Jajangmyun (Chinese-style noodles in black sauce). In South Korea, there is also
Pepero Day, celebrated on November 11, during which young couples give each other romantic gifts.
In
Chinese Culture, there is a similar counterpart of the Valentine's Day. It is called "
The Night of Sevens", on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar; the last one being
August 30,
2006. A slightly different version of this day is celebrated in Japan as
Tanabata, on July 7th on the solar calendar.
In
Egypt, there is another love day which is on
November 4 each year. It is called "
The Egyptian Love Day". ( I never heard of that!!)
In
Persian Culture (
Iran) this popular date is discreetly celebrated by most lovers despite the disapproval of such occasion by the hardline Islamic government as a copycat of the West.
According to
Jewish tradition the 15th day of the month of Av -
Tu B'Av (usually late August) is the festival of love (hag haahava). In ancient times girls would wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them (
Mishna Taanith end of Chapter 4). In modern Israeli culture this is a popular day to pronounce love, propose marriage and give gifts like cards or flowers.
In
Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados (lit. "Day of the enamored", or "Boyfriend's/Girlfriend's Day") is celebrated on
June 12, when couples exchange gifts such as chocolates, cards and usually a flower bouquet. This day is chosen probably because it is the day before the
Saint Anthony's day, known there as the marriage saint, when many single women perform popular rituals in order to find a good husband (or nowadays, a boyfriend).
In
Colombia, the Día del amor y la amistad (lit. "Love and Friendship Day") is celebrated on the third Friday and Saturday in September, because of commercial issues. In this country the Amigo secreto ("Secret friend") tradition is quite popular, which consists of randomly assigning to each participant a recipient who is to be given an anonymous gift (similar to the Christmas tradition of
Secret Santa).
In
Mexico, the Día del amor y la amistad is celebrated similar to Colombia but this one falls on
February 14.
In
Finland, Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day". As the name says, this day is more about remembering your friends than your loved ones.
In
Slovenia, a proverb says that "St Valentine brings the keys of roots," so on February 14, plants and flowers start to grow. Valentine's Day has been celebrated as the day when the first works in the vineyards and on the fields commence. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Nevertheless, it has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. The day of love is traditionally
12 March, the
Saint Gregory's day. Another proverb says "Valentin - prvi spomladin" ("Valentine — first saint of spring"), as in some places (especially
White Carniola) Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring.
In
Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is
Dragobete, which is celebrated on
February 24. It is named after a character from Romanian folklore who was supposed to be the son of
Baba Dochia. Part of his name is the word drag ("dear"), which can also be found in the word dragoste ("love"). In recent years, Romania has also started celebrating Valentine's Day, despite already having Dragobete as a traditional holiday. This has drawn backlash from many groups, particularly nationalist organizations like
Noua Dreaptǎ, who condemn Valentine's Day for being superficial, commercialist and imported Western
kitsch.
In
Denmark,
Norway &
Sweden Valentines Day is known as Valentinsdag. It is not celebrated to a large extent, but some people take time to be romantic with their partner, or send a card to a secret love.
Valentines Day also has regional traditions in the UK. In Norfolk a character called 'Jack' Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although leavings treats, many children were scared of this mystical person.
In Asia, people celebrate it with a candle-light dinner.
Oke, Back to our present day. Today is Valentines day and I still havent found a clue on what to buy him!!
My idea on a perfect gift, if itwas a birthday, new year, anniversury or Valentines day is that it must have these conditions:
1. It must relate to me & my personality.
2. It must be something they have always wanted and needed.
3. It must be related to teh occasion it self.
4. One of a kind, I wouldnt want them to find someone elese who has received the exact same thing.
5. It must be USEFUL!!!! not something that would be thrown in the gift closet ( I have one!!)
So, this is making it just difficult on me! Its 3 pm am meetin him in a few and am still clueless!!
While I was working and surfing today found this interesting article, incase you are clueless on what to get him/her for today!
What Should It Cost to Say 'I Love You'?Three Heartfelt TipsHere are my steps to creating a truly rich relationship this Valentine's Day.
1. Express your feelings in writing
You don't have to be a professional writer to craft a truly meaningful love note. There simply is no such thing as a poorly written love note. But if you need help, here are some suggestions.
Write a love letter that tells your loved one just how much they mean to you. But don't just write to write, take a few moments to put your heart and soul into it. Dig down and convey what you're truly feeling. If you lost the person you love (and this could be anyone, not just a significant other), what would you wish you'd told them?
Don't wait until it's too late. You'll be giving a gift that literally costs nothing, and if this simple gesture is all you do this Valentine's Day, it will mean more than any store-bought card, box of chocolates, or bouquet of flowers ever could.
2. Make a home-cooked meal.
I'm going against tradition with this advice, but in my opinion Valentine's Day is about the worst possible night of the year to eat out. Restaurants are packed (it's the second-busiest day of the year for them), the menus are often prix fixe, the prices are inflated, and the staff is overworked.
So this year, stay home and prepare a meal instead. It can be as simple or as elegant as you'd like. Make it special with a cozy table setting, candles, and music. If you don't cook, then plan a simple picnic in front of the fireplace. Or maybe you could snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie. Turn down the lights, pour two glasses of wine, and settle in for a relaxing evening.
Finally, it's the perfect time to give your sweetheart the love letter you wrote. Better yet, read it aloud to them!
3. Dream about the future together.
Nothing strengthens a relationship more than having a dream you work on together as a team. Talk about your dreams together, and spend your Valentine's Day planning your future.
Maybe your dream is to take an exotic trip. Visit one of the popular travel web sites to research destinations and costs, and have some fun planning it together. Or maybe you want to start saving to buy your first home. Sit down at the computer together and go on a few virtual home tours. Envision the kind of house you see yourselves in. Finally, if a vacation home is your future, use the Internet to find that perfect island getaway that you hope to someday own.
Then take the money you would have spent on each other for Valentine's Day and make a deposit into your dream savings account instead. Work together to save for your dreams and you'll find that they soon become a reality.
For Love and Money
I started this column asking if Valentine's Day is about love or money. In truth, it's about both -- but your truth is what you make it.
This year, I say make Valentine's Day more love-based and less spending-based. You may be surprised by just how rich it makes you and your loved ones feel.
Source :
What Should It Cost to Say 'I Love You'?by
David Bach - Yahoo Finance
Other interesting reads:
1.
The History of Valentines Day P.S: I'm sorry for the past light blogging, but I promise I do have a number of interesting articles to post, but such a few time. I will post them all Enshala..
Coming up subject:
1. Online Scams
2. Campaign for the Sudanese Student "Mohamed Abdel Salam" ( Arabic readers can read about it
here)
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