Valentines Day and How it was started

First I'll say Happy Early Valentines Day! 

And, to make this a special occasion, I have a little gift for one lucky winner.  I will pick one lady from the comments, and email you a copy from amazon of my first historical romance, Rachel's Ransom. 

I'll talk about that novel a little later on, right now let's jump into the next holiday that is just right around the corner. 

Since Valentines day is approaching, I began to wonder who sent the first Valentine and why. These days we send candy, and gifts to our loved ones. We try and appreciate them a little more on February the 14th. We might buy them a card, flowers, or something sweet to eat, but why? Who started this Holiday? Was it some person long ago, that wanted to sell some of their candy and needed a reason to do so? 

I found many different ideas and stories, but I liked this one. It made sense and I thought it was cute so I'll share it with you. It comes from this blogpost here.

The writer began with . . . In the Middle Ages the idea of choosing a romantic partner on this particular saint's day began because it was believed that birds began mating on that day.  I liked this idea and it does make sense when spring begins, love is in the air. 

He went on with, there doesn't seem to be evidence that the historical Saint Valentine, an early Christian martyred by the Romans, had any connections to birds or romance.

Another blog post from this site here said . . . There are at least three martyrs named Valentine or Valentinus recognized by the Catholic Church. Each of their stories can be tied to the holiday we now celebrate. The writer went on to say, the most common legend surrounding Valentine’s Day centers around a third-century priest. Roman Emperor Claudius II who concluded that single men made better soldiers than men who were married with families. So in order to ensure military strength, the emperor outlawed marriage! The priest, Valentine, in defiance of the law, continued to perform weddings. Ultimately, he was discovered, jailed, and executed.

Well, this is just right down depressing so I went on looking for something more festive and cheerful. This is supposed to be a holiday that makes us think of sweets and sweethearts. But there was just more strange odd rituals and I wanted to share this one. I would not have wanted to be a woman during this time. You are not going to like this next part! And it really seemed so bazar that I googled it and found it on a few more sites, so I guess it is true. Be thankful you were born in the 20th century!!

Some believe February 14th was chosen by the Catholic Church to coincide with the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, in an effort to Christianize the holiday. The fertility festival falls on February 15, with the men of the town sacrificing a goat for fertility, and a dog for purification, dipping the hides in blood and slapping the single women and crop fields with them! This was meant to bring fertility. Later in the day, the names of all the single women would be put in an urn and each man would choose a name. They would pair for the festival, and sometimes for life.

Thank Heavens . . . Lupercalia was deemed unchristian and outlawed at the end of the 5th century. With the pagan holiday off the calendar, Pope Gustavus declared February 14 Saint Valentine’s Day.  

Let's move on to Cupid, maybe that will be better and not conjure up visions of blood and well . . . . eww let's just move on 😀😂😃

Picture Cupid in your head 

I thought this seemed more safe and I found this particular story here. Let's see what brought about our cute little cupid that in movies shoots it's arrows and helps people fall in love.  

Do you see a fat, cherubic baby, with a quiver full of arrows and a diaper full of … love? I do and of course you do, because that’s our modern interpretation.

But this adorable little Cupid has been called many names, portrayed in many ways, and been known throughout history. There are many cultures with their own stories, but the ones we most closely associated with the Cupid are those of the Romans and Greeks.

From Roman mythology, we get the name Cupid, which means “to desire”, which derives from the Latin word cupere. Cupid is, literally, the child of the goddess of love, Venus. In Greek mythology, he is known as Eros, and, depending on the source, was thought to be a primordial god who came into the world either asexually, from an egg, or the son of Aphrodite. In classical Greek and Roman art, Cupid  is a slender, winged young boy, but later artistic depictions of the god show him starting to eat more and getting increasingly chubbier.

Okay, now that they have made me see cupid in a different light, let's move on before they turn me against candy and sweets. Which in reality might not be such a bad thing. This next part is more down my lane with people giving gifts and not doing anything that makes you go EWW LOL!! 

I hope these folks from
Ebay don't mind my
using their image I'll share for them 
LINK TO BUY

For this one we are back to this blog.. HERE.  Despite the holiday's mysterious and puzzling roots, it is obvious that people have observed St. Valentine’s Day for centuries. The famed London diarist Samuel Pepys mentioned observances of the day in the mid-1600s, complete with elaborate gift-giving among the wealthier members of society. 

I don't know about you but the name Pepy's evokes that cute little skunk that was always chasing the cat, wanting to make her his true love. Now that's a holiday memory I can enjoy and smile when I think of it. Though he did put poor kitty through the ringer trying to catch her and show her how much he really cared. 

Flowers, now this is more like it.

The history of Valentine’s Day flowers might have developed more recently than that of the holiday itself. In the 18th century, introduced by Charles II of Sweden, the custom of sending floral bouquets to pass on non-verbal messages became more mainstream. 

Each flower had a specific meaning attached to it, making it possible to have an entire conversation using only flowers. This form of communication is called floriography, or the cryptological communication through the arrangement of flowers.  Red roses meant – what else? – Romance, and is the most commonly given flower on Valentine’s Day. Pink roses meant gratitude and appreciation, whereas white meant innocence and purity. Carnations, another popular Valentine’s Day choice, meant an aching heart and admiration.

Candy!!

Okay, I thought candy would be safe. Well I was wrong. Little children cover your ears and the faint of heart . . . well I'm just kidding, it's not that bad. I do like to try and make you smile now and then or even laugh! It might make you think twice though, the next time you buy chocolate for someone. You might want to make sure it's your husband and not your neighbor, lol!! Here is the blog where my chocolate info came from.

Chocolate is considered aphrodisiac food since the time of Aztecs. Chocolate is said to contain a substance that inflames desire and make the beloved one more open to romance. In olden days, this resulted in the tradition in European royalty to give their lovers chocolates mixed with amber. You think this can't be true, and you might have thought someone came up with this just to sell more candy. But wait.

According to science, there might be some truth in old legends. As per the recent studies, women who eat chocolate are said to show more desire for romance as compared to women who don’t eat chocolates. This might be because chocolates release brain soothing chemicals which increase energy and desire levels. Chocolate is proven to produce a natural high which elevates mood and is often equated to feeling in love.

Okay, if you are like me you're kind of tired by this point. You might even want to skip Valentines day and move on to that cute fuzzy Easter bunny, who at this moment seems safer. We might delve into him later, or I might just leave him and and not want to find out what started him hopping around, giving out eggs. 

So onto a little about my book which has nothing to do with Easter Eggs or Valentines  day or candy. I'll share the blurb below, a link and the image. Remember, if you comment on the blog you will be entered in to possibly win an e-copy of this book. It gets great reviews and many of the ladies that read it said they couldn't put it down. Warning though, many of them said they fell head over heels in love with Maxwell Caufield.  

Thanks and I'm curious to see what some of you will say about this blog post :)

Blurb 

Can true love be found when you’re promised to another?
After losing her father and two brothers in the war, Rachel Lawson is forced to move North. Lonely and uncertain about her future, she hopes answering a mail-order-bride advertisement will be the answer to her prayers. Will her decision destroy her only real chance at love?

Maxwell Caufield is a self-made recluse, his past and inward self-loathing has built a wall around his life and heart. While escorting his brother's intended, he's shocked to discover he has feelings for the bride-to-be. What will he do? Betray his brother or his own heart?

Link 

Website Facebook Group Contact Us Samantha Fury is the author of  the Street Justice Series.  She's written many articles on book covers, for Indie Authors. She operates several Indie Groups. Editing Services, Cover Artist, Helpful Indie Facebook Groups. 

Latest Release here Rachel's Ransom buy Here It is also in Kindle Unlimited