Today is Valentine’s Day. There are differing opinions as to who or what we are celebrating on February 14. Before I get too far into this subject it’s worth noting that Valentine’s Day is banned in some countries because it’s deemed to be pagan or not a part of the country’s cultural identity.
There are several different Saint Valentines. The Catholic church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine, each of who were martyred and honored on February 14th. Most/many historians believe that the holiday was originally created to celebrate one or more of these saints and the romantic association with the day developed later.
A lot of people believe that Valentine’s Day was created (by the Catholic Church) as a Christian replacement for the pagan festival of Lupercalia. Lupercalia was celebrated in mid-February and was also associated with fertility and love and purification. The festival involved the sacrifice of goats and dogs, as well as the exchange of gifts and love notes between young men and women. So Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as Saint Valentine’s Day to separate the church from Lupercalia.
But today, all across the world, Valentine’s Day is thought of as a time to celebrate what is called love. And it’s a booming multimillion-dollar industry. The greeting card industry sells approximately 190 million cards, it’s the number one holiday for florists, and the candy manufacturers flourish. And restaurants are packed.
If you follow this blog, you know that we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day on Valentine’s Day. We celebrate the day before or the day after — those days offer a much more relaxed dining experience.
But today love is in the air, as they say… but so are germs.
Lewis Black said, “What I find most disturbing about Valentine’s Day is, look, I get that you have to have a holiday of love, but in the height of flu season, it makes no sense.”
They also say that love conquers all, so go ahead and celebrate, but be safe — Happy Valentine’s Day.
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