|
History of St. Valentine's Day |
Valentine's
Day
Is a wonderful way
To make "I love you"
Easy to say. |
|
|
As early as the fourth century
B.C.,
the Romans
engaged in an annual young man's
rite to passage to the
God Lupercus, protector of the
herd
and
crops. The names of
the teenage women were placed in a box
and
drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a
woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another
lottery
was
staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel
practice, the early church fathers
sought to end this practice. They found an answer in Valentine, a
bishop who had been
martyred
some two hundred years earlier. |
The
Roman Empire |
According to church tradition St. Valentine
was a
priest near Rome in about the year 270
A.D. At that time the Roman
Emperor Claudius II who had issued an edict
forbidding marriage.
This was around when the
heyday of Roman empire had almost
come to an end.
Lack of quality administrators
led to frequent civil
strife.
Learning
declined,
taxation increased, and trade
slumped to a low, precarious level.
And the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and
Asian increased their pressure on the empire's
boundaries. The empire was
grown too large to be
shielded from external aggression and internal chaos
with existing forces.
Thus more of capable men were required to be
recruited as soldiers and officers. When Claudius became the emperor, he
felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families,
and thus, will not make good soldiers. So to assure quality soldiers, he
banned marriage.
Valentine, a bishop, seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a
secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius
learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor,
impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to
convert him to the roman gods, to save him from certain
execution.
Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert
the emperor, knowing the consequences fully.
On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed. |
"From Your
Valentine" |
While Valentine was in prison awaiting his
fate, he came in contact with his
jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a
blind
daughter. Asterius requested him
to heal his daughter. Through his faith
he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his
execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed
a
farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived
ever
after.
Valentine thus become a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual
festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired,
and
wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14.
The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine's name.
The Valentine's Day card
spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated
all over the world. One of the earliest card was sent in 1415 by Charles,
duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of
London. The card is now
preserved in the British Museum.
|
Source:
Customs and Traditions Website |
GLOSSARY |
B.C.:
Before Christ; before the Christian era (antes de Cristo)
engaged in:
occupied in, participated
(participaban, se ocupaban de)
rite:
religious ceremony or ritual (ritual)
herd: a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic
mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
(ganado)
crops: harvests, the yield from plants
in a single growing season (cosechas)
the teenage women: adolescent women, being of the age 13
through 19 (las adolescentes)
drawn at random: chosen in a random manner (elegidas
al azar)
was staged: was arranged (se
preparaba)
sought to end: put an end to (pusieron fin a)
bishop:
a clergyman having spiritual and administrative authority (obispo)
martyred: killed as a martyr (condenado a la muerte)
priest:
clergyman (sacerdote)
A.D.:
Anno Domini; in the Christian era, used before dates after the
supposed year Christ was born (después de Cristo)
forbidding: prohibiting officially (prohibiendo)
heyday: the period of greatest prosperity or
productivity (apogeo)
come to an end: been finished (llegado a su fin) |
lack of: absence of (la
ausencia de)
led to: resulted in (trajo como resultado)
strife: violence, disagreement,
conflict (conflictos, desacuerdos)
learning declined: learning went down (se redujo el
aprendizaje)
taxation increased: taxes went up (los impuestos
subieron)
slumped:
fell down
(cayó)
boundaries:
frontiers, borders, limits
(fronteras)
shielded: protected (protegido)
thus: therefore (por lo tanto)
recruited: hired (contratados, reclutados)
banned: prohibited, especially by legal means or social
pressure (prohibió)
execution: putting a condemned person to death(ejecución)
fate: destiny (destino)
jailor: prison guard, someone who guards prisoners (carcelero)
blind: unable to see (ciega)
to heal: to cure (que curara)
a farewell message: a parting note (un mensaje de
despedida)
ever after: for ever (por siempre)
wished to court: wished to make amorous advances (a
quienes deseaban cortejar)
spread: extended (se extendió)
all over the world: worldwide (por todo el mundo)
preserved: well kept (conservada) |
|
|
MAS "FESTIVIDADES"
FORO
INICIO |
|