I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this: where I does not exist nor you, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
- Pablo Neruda, "Love Sonnet XVII"
The History of Valentine's Day
The origins of Valentine's Day trace back to the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia. Held on February 15, Lupercalia honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.
In addition to a bountiful feast, Lupercalia festivities are purported to have included the pairing of young women and men. Men would draw women's names from a box, and each couple would be paired until next year's celebration.
While this pairing of couples set the tone for today's holiday, it wasn't called "Valentine's Day" until a priest named Valentine came along. Valentine, a romantic at heart, disobeyed Emperor Claudius II's decree that soldiers remain bachelors. Claudius handed down this decree believing that soldiers would be distracted and unable to concentrate on fighting if they were married or engaged. Valentine defied the emperor and secretly performed marriage ceremonies. As a result of his defiance, Valentine was put to death on February 14.
After Valentine's death, he was named a saint. As Christianity spread through Rome, the priests moved Lupercalia from February 15 to February 14 and renamed it St. Valentine's Day to honor Saint Valentine.
What's Cupid Got to Do with It?
According to Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Cupid was known to cause people to fall in love by shooting them with his magical arrows. But Cupid didn't just cause others to fall in love - he himself fell deeply in love.
As legend has it, Cupid fell in love with a mortal maiden named Psyche. Cupid married Psyche, but Venus, jealous of Psyche's beauty, forbade her daughter-in-law to look at Cupid. Psyche, of course, couldn't resist temptation and sneaked a peek at her handsome husband. As punishment, Venus demanded that she perform three hard tasks, the last of which caused Psyche's death.
Cupid brought Psyche back to life and the gods, moved by their love, granted Pysche immortality. Cupid thus represents the heart and Psyche the (struggles of the) human soul. (Info from Here)
In honor of Valentine's Day, I have selected some pretty cool red and white items to get you in the mood.
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| Pottery Barn |
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| West Elm |
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| Anthropologie |
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| A Bit of Whimsey (for a child's room or the little kid in all of us) I purchased this print adding to another print I already have to create a collage. Etsy (Poppy and Scout in Australia |
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| Emma Bridgewater |
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| J Crew |
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| J Crew |
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| J Crew |
Kris,
ReplyDeleteI have always wondered about the history of Valentine's Day. Thanks for sharing it with us. Oh my gosh, I love this print of the little girl with the luggage in Paris. And the cup with the hearts is so cute. I've been looking for a Valentine cup to drink my coffee in, but haven't found one yet. I would love a chance to win this pretty necklace in your giveaway. I don't have any special memories of Valentine's Day, but I do remember a gift that my husband bought me for Valentine's Day one year - it was a vanity set in cherry wood. I always wanted a vanity set, and when my husband bought it for me, I was so excited. I have given away many things in life from time to time, but this is one treasure that I will keep forever, and it is a remembrance of this special day.
Love,
~Sheri
Oh, and stop by tomorrow if you get a chance. I know you will like my post.
ReplyDeleteLove,
~me
When my husband asked me for ideas, and he did all of them for me - from gifts to outings. Score!
ReplyDeleteFor many years I had my name day on Valentine´s Day - until it suddenly was removed from the calender. Apparantely, Tina is not a trendy name anymore... It totally sucked, it was the perfect day for a name day! :-)
ReplyDeletelovely blog and information! cool sekection of pic too:-)) I first heart of this special day in my English classes!
ReplyDeletehello! wow - awesome story - MUST Include that in my homeschooling!!! I'm sure kids will love it. Let's see ... hmmm ... since I'm married Valentines Day hasn't really featured much in the way of Roses and Choccies lately but I remember once when I was a flight attendant one of the pilots secretly left me a gorgeous tiny bunch of fabric flowers and I still have them and never found out to this day who left them for me !!! sweet ... xx Happy Valentines Day Kris xxx
ReplyDeleteI love reading your post. This is a very lovely gift so thank you! I think I just started appreciating Valentine's more after reading this story you shared :)
ReplyDelete