Valentine’s Day will soon be here, a day for romance & flowers; cupids & candy in heart-shaped boxes. Like many days our calendars commemorate, Valentine’s Day is largely an invention from the Victorian Age. Romantic love has a much longer history, but was not always the foundation of courtship and marriage. In doing research for
Articles Tagged Valentine’s Day
“Cupid, Draw Back Your Bow”
Every February I wonder how a chubby, winged boy-child with less than useful wings became a symbol for Valentine’s Day. The Ancient Greeks called Cupid Eros, and described him as a vengeful youth. The Hellenistic Greeks and the Romans shrank the slender young man into a chubby benign figure. A few hundred years later, English
Valentine Traditions
Did you notice? Before Holiday Decorations came down, Valentine’s Day cards were out. Once again a commemorative day many dread is upon us. It wasn’t always so. St. Valentine of Rome didn’t give flowers, candy, or cards. He gave soldiers the marriage sacrament. Claudius II declared soldiers couldn’t marry. He thought it reduced their fighting
SIX FEBRUARY HOLIDAYS IN THE SAME WEEK
Whew! There were more holidays last week than during the official “Holiday Season.” Funny word “holiday.” It’s a contraction of Holy Days. Most folks don’t think of holidays as religious – we think of free time, decorations, special food, gifts, and shopping. But, for those so inclined, there is opportunity for contemplation and purification. CHINESE
