Valentines Day Celebrations Online
Dating Secret Friends Guide
Valentines Day Celebrations Of Love And Romance
By John Rafter
Valentines Day celebrations doesn’t mean the same today
as it did thousands of years ago. We celebrate a watered
down version of romance and pining for someone’s affections.
Consider the days when people had to marry in secret
because their love was against the law.
Thankfully today, it is a reminder to spend time with
your partner and it is a healthy tradition. Some people
agonize over finding the right Valentines gift but the
most important thing is that the feelings are genuine.
Though we learned much about Saint Valentine in school
as a martyr, the Roman Catholic Church under Pope Paul
VI removed Valentines Day from its calendars as recently
as 1969 because they stated, "Though the memorial
of Saint Valentine is ancient, it is left to particular
calendars, since, apart from his name, nothing is known
of Saint Valentine except that he was buried on the
Via Flaminia on February 14."
Valentine Secretly Married Couples
However, the prevailing traditional stories indicate
that Saint Valentine was jailed under the terrible reign
of the Roman Emperor Claudius, who made it illegal for
his subjects to marry because he felt men were refusing
to join his army out of love for their lovers or children.
Nevertheless, Valentine continued to secretly marry
couples until he was seized, beaten with clubs, stoned
and beheaded on February 14th, 269 A.D. Legend has it,
he cured the jailer’s daughter of blindness and penned
her a letter from jail, signed "From Your Valentine."
Feast Of Lupercalia
Another alleged root of Valentines Day celebrations
dates back to 44 B.C. and ancient Rome’s February the
15th Feast of Lupercalia. On the eve of the festival
(what we celebrate as Valentines Day), each boy would
draw the name of a girl from a slip of paper in a jar,
who would then be his partner for the duration of the
festival.
Sometimes these pairings would last the entire year
or lead to marriage. The festival itself was quite different
than our modern traditions of bestowing flowers and
chocolate. They would sacrifice two male goats and a
dog, have a feast and go wild.
Noble Youths Running Up And Down The City
Greek Historian Plutarch described it: "At this
time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates
run up and down through the city naked, for sport and
laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs.
And many women of rank also purposely get in their way,
and like children at school present their hands to be
struck, believing that the pregnant will thus be helped
in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy."
"Valentines Day celebrations has gone in and out
of vogue," says Henry Ansgar Kelly, Director of
the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UCLA.
"In the 16th century in Genoa you have it, but
there is not much notice of it in other countries."
A Romantic Holiday
In fact, the only countries that celebrate February
14th as a romantic holiday are the US, Mexico, Canada,
France, Australia and the UK. Even though the history
remains murky and the traditions vary, you and your
partner can decide what Valentines Day means to you
and go from there.
You may be the sentimental type to indulge in Valentine
roses or you may choose to forego the traditional route
and instead spend the evening having a comfortable,
low-key dinner at home.
About the Author: John Rafter
is a popular author of romance and dating articles including
Love
Help, Happy
Valentines, Happy
Valentines Day, Valentines
Day Gifts, For
Valentines Day, Happy
Valentine, On
Valentines Day, Valentines
Day Gifts.
More Valentines Day Facts....
Why would I need a Valentine’s Day Guide?
Technically you may not need a
Valentine’s Day Guide. You may already know the proper
gift giving rites and know just how much to give and
to whom it should be given. But there are occasions
when people draw a blank when it comes to Valentine’s
Day.
They need help trying to pick
out the perfect card, outing or gift to give the person
they are interested in or in love with. Some may even
refer to a guide to help create the perfect Valentine’s
Day party. There is a lot of information that a guide
can give you.
It may have special recipes to
make the day unique. It may give a listing of what is
practical to give and what is inappropriate. A guide
can help someone decide if the relationship is old enough
to even warrant a gift and can help them pick out the
right gift depending on how long the couple has been
together.
Though a guide may seem more
geared to men who have trouble gifting, in reality it
is a practical tool that can be used by everyone.
RECOMMENDED READING
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Copyright
© 2007 - 2010 Online Dating Secret Friends,
All Rights Reserved |
|
