So when did Valentine’s Day turn into such a big deal? Unless you’ve
been hiding under a rock, you’ve been bombarded like me by spam email
soliciting for various gifts of flowers, candies, cards, chocolates,
clothes, hats, and stuffed animals. Commercials everywhere are
constantly warning us not to forget our loved ones.
Whatever happened to the good old days of cutting out simple paper
hearts, scarfing down a couple of powdery candies stamped with “Be
Mine” on the side, and calling it a day? Nowadays, even entertainment
companies are getting in on the act with TV series offering special
holiday centered programming and movies such as New Line Cinema’s
latest, “Valentine’s Day,” hitting theaters this weekend. And don’t
forget the restaurants offering a simple night out for two starting at
$200 and going up from there.
Does anyone remember the origin of this day and what its original intent was? According to Wikipedia:
Saint Valentine’s Day (or simply Valentine’s Day) is an
annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection
between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more
early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope
Gelasius I in 496 AD. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express
their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering
confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). The
holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of
Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly
love flourished. Modern Valentine’s Day symbols include the
heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since
the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to
mass-produced greeting cards.
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