Everyday Canvas

Sliding into Valentine's Day

I was in the store this afternoon with Vic to get sympathy cards for my friend's children. Maybe, I've been oblivious the past few years but today I really noticed that the Valentine Card aisle is now 3 aisles. It made me wonder do people really buy that many Valentine cards.What do you think, do people really mail that many cards?
Do you do something special for Valentines Day where you live? Tell us about your customs.

---------------------------------

I have a few doubts about the distinctiveness of Valentine’s Day, and I don't think I ever sent Valentine cards to anyone. I didn’t need to. The special one I love has always been near me, and the people I love I carry in my heart wherever they may be.

I also think: Why limit such a wonderful concept as love to one day, especially on a date with such dark background? If the idea was to replace something beautiful with something repulsive, I have no objection to that, but to think that romantic love can be locked up inside one day of the year feels limiting to me.

As to the nasty origins of Valentine’s Day, it is something a lot more difficult to swallow than the gifts of wine and chocolate. History reveals that from Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The naked and drunk men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain. Worse yet, the young women lined up to be hit, as they believed this would enable fertility. Then came a matchmaking ritual, lotto-like, in which each man drew the name of a woman from a jar to have relations with.

The name Valentine comes from the two men both named Valentine and slain by Emperor Claudius II. Later, a fifth century pope combined Lupercalia and the murdered men’s name Valentine, to be honored by the church as one martyr and saint.

Was this pope's action a good deed? Who knows? It feels like whitewashing a dark deed, but I have no problems with love or that pope's action; in fact, I think love should abound and rescue the world from wars and strife. When all is said and done, anything that reminds people to love one another is fine with me.

Do I celebrate Valentine’s day? Not really, but I am fine with others celebrating it. For jest, I usually bake a cake on that day and put messages on my notebook in WdC and on my Facebook page to celebrate everyone’s “love” day. After all, don't the holidays help strengthen the economy?