Each year on February 14th people celebrate the day by exchanging cards, candy, or flowers with a special person. Do you have any idea as to how it became associated with love and romance?
Valentine’s Day is thought to have its origins in the Roman pagan holiday Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually from Feb. 13 to 15. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, and then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain. It was thought this ritual would make the women fertile. Lovemaking followed by a lottery in which young men would draw for a partner from a jar(1). During the third century an oppressive Roman emperor named Claudius II executed two men – both named Valentine – on February 14 for defying his order to worship twelve gods. The association with Christians was a crime punishable by death. The Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day honored their martyrdom.
In the 5th century Pope Gelasius combined the two holidays. However, it maintained many of the pagan rituals of the pagan holiday. As time went on, the holiday took on a romantic flavor with the exchange of paper cards or tokens-du-jour. Over the years, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging handmade cards on Valentine’s Day had become common in England (1)
In 1913 Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., introduced mass produced valentines. Today, the holiday is big business. (2). Today is it is estimated that 25% of all cards are exchanged on Valentines Day (2).
Today, gift giving has expanded to include candy, flowers and music. Check out the following album and a critic’s review for an example of music to love by.
“Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado”
Sabor a Mi /Daniel Kobialka “Tracks like “Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado” and “La Paloma” will take you up and out into the clouds and allow you to float, if you wish to go that route. In terms of being a romantic album, play this in the background and you will be popping bottles, metaphorically and realistically. A French kiss of an album, but with Latin flavors.” This is Book’s Review
Available at http://www.wonderofsound.com