February
has long been a month of romance centered around Valentines Day. In ancient
Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno. Juno was the
Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the
Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the
Feast of Lupercalia. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the
names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars.
Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be
partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose.
Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often,
they would fall in love and would later marry.
Another Valentines myth is that of Cupid. Cupid was the god of love
in Roman mythology. The name Cupid is a variation on Cupido
("desire"), and this god was also known by the name Amor
("love"). It was commonly believed that Cupid was
the son of Venus - the Roman goddess of love - and this association
between Venus and Cupid was quite popular in myth, poetry, literature, and
art. Cupid often depicted as winged child or baby who
carried a bow and quiver full of arrows. One of the most memorable
myths about Cupid involves his relationship with the beautiful woman named
Psyche.
According to popular Christian legend the celebration of Valentine's
Day is based on St. Valentine. More
great sites at Valentines
Day
directory. He was a priest who lived in the
third century during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II the
Cruel. In an effort to overcome diminishing numbers in the
Roman army, Claudius II banned all marriages and engagements in
Rome. He was convinced that married men were unwilling to join
his ranks due to commitments to wives and children. Claudius II came
to the conclusion that single men made better soldiers. Valentine
deemed the decree cruel and unfair. With the help of other Christian
martyrs, he secretly married young lovers in private ceremonies until his
actions were discovered. Claudius II sent Valentine to prison and
condemned him to death.
Historians have traced Valentine greetings as far back as the Middle Ages,
when sweethearts versed and sang their valentines. It wasn't until the
early fourteenth century that written valentines became popular. In
Europe, people exchanged paper valentines instead of valentine gifts, as
we do today. These valentines were especially popular, lovers created
handmade cards, using colored paper and inks to make them special.
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