Happy Valentine’s Day!
Why do people celebrate it? People around the world do not celebrate it the same. Some people celebrate it as just an adult holiday based around love. Others celebrate it with just the children. Where does it come from? It comes from 3 different sources; however, it has not always been called Valentine’s Day.
I actually have most of my notes from teaching for so many years, and going to libraries to deep dive the subject. I also use this site: https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Valentines-ay/390980
Valentine’s Day has become a mix of three different holidays that all celebrated one thing: love.
In the early centuries in England and Europe Catholics celebrated the Feast of Saint Valentino who was the basis for love as written in 1 Corinthians 13 what true love is. The Greek word for this love is called; aggios which translate as true love. This is the love that is between a father and child or God and His children. It primarily teaches us what love is and is not. Today, many Catholics still celebrate the feast of Saint Valentino. He was a Roman Christian who tried to use love to push the head of Rome to become a Christian. He was eventually killed as the head of Rome was a proud man who was not going to be easily swayed.
Another reason people celebrate this day is because of the Roman festival called; Lupercalia. This celebration came about before Jesus was born and Rome did not have a name. It was based on the goddess: Lupa. Lupa was a female wolf who didn’t have any children. One day she was out on her hillside and she heard cries coming from 2 pups whose mother had been killed. Lupa chose to take care of them and raise them as her own. She had to give up many things for them, but she didn’t care because she loved them so much. As time grew on the pups became fierce warriors; full of strength, honor and virtue. Their names held such powerful strength that putting them together in the Greek created the word: ‘Roman’. Since then Rome celebrates Lupa in early spring (February 14).
Between the 15-16th centruies many scholars would find a poem written in the 14th century about birds. Why this is sigificant in the world was crazy. The author was liked very much by their peers only after they died: Farad Attar. The poem is all about how birds decide they need to find the god of love: Simurgh who will help them get pregnant and have babies. The birds go on a quest to different parts of the world and different areas (up high beyond the clouds and down low into the ocean) but eventually they find the god and they eventually mate and have their babies. As the scholars were looking they realized that the birds mate in early February which was called, Early Spring. Thus, the poem became a day where people celebrated mating season for not only birds but also other animals and people too.
Whether you celebrate for any of those reasons; you celebrate Valentien’s Day. In some countries, the women would cook a dinner for the man and if the man liked it the women would received a special gift on Feb 23rd. Another country would only celebrate men and their strength and virtue by throwing a party or celebration where the man must participate in various activities to show their strength the week prior. On Valentine’s Day, if the family decided they did a good job then they would give the man a special treat. In Italy many couples still celebrate the goddess of Lupa and participate in various activities so they can have children. In America, we celebrate by throwing parties for the children and the children pass around little toys, flowers or, cards to other children or to their families. The parents might try to eat a special mean and also exchange gifts. In some African cultures people run around and put the names of their crushes on their sleeves. Other countries call it, ‘Chocolate Day’ where the adults will give the children chocolate for various reasons. My husband and I had a ham dinner and we gave each other chocolate. Outside of raising and teaching kids it is just another day for us. Each day we tell each other: ‘I love you’. Many of our friends and family no longer has their spouse so we try to give them a reminder that we love them too. However you spend Valentine’s Day, I pray that you had a very good day!