Valentine’s Day: Share love, chocolates and prayer, as Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day collide

February 14, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Heart in spoon top of pink mug with drink

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14: Love letters, cards, chocolates and red-and-pink décor abound as Valentine’s Day is celebrated around the world. Just be careful not to indulge in sweet treats today if you’re one of the world’s 2 billion Western Christians: Though St. Valentine is recognized as a saint in the church, Ash Wednesday’s fasting and penitence takes precedence, church leaders are saying. So tell your loved ones how you feel, instead: “That’s amore!” An Italian greeting might be appropriate in honor of the feast day for this ancient Roman-Christian martyr known as St. Valentine.

Looking for a Christian twist on Valentine’s greetings? Get inspiration for a DIY card from Solomon’s Canticle of Canticles, a book that uses marital love as a metaphor for God’s love for the Church.

VALENTINE: HISTORY & LEGEND

Hearts hanging light behind

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The history of the saint behind this holiday is mysterious, indeed, and parts of the story are more legend than documented fact. For that reason, in 1969, the Vatican removed St. Valentine from the “General Roman Calendar,” the official registry of saints and their feast days. However, this saint is so beloved that Catholics are free to observe feast days locally and regionally—and millions do so every year.

The problem is that “Valentine” was a popular name in the 3rd Century—and for many years after that. At least two, and most likely several, Valentines were early Christian martyrs. By the 6th Century, Christian leaders were blending their stories into a single heroic tale.

Usually, Valentine is described as a courageous and brilliant defender of Christianity, as a compassionate man who tried to help men and women who were endangered during the period of Roman persecution—and as a priest who performed Christian marriages, including weddings for Roman soldiers and their wives at a time when that practice was illegal. According to legend, Valentine was such a striking figure that Roman Emperor Claudius II personally interrogated him, a practice that would have been quite rare in the Roman court. As the story goes, Valentine refused to recant his faith; the emperor refused to budge; Valentine performed a couple of final miracles (including healing his jailer’s daughter)—and Valentine was killed on February 14.

CHAUCER: CUE THE ROMANCE

The earliest known association of Valentine’s Day with romantic love is in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules (1382 CE), written for the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. One of the earliest valentine messages still in existence is a 15th-century poem written by Charles, the Duke of Orleans, to his wife, while he was being held in the Tower of London.

By 1797, valentines were becoming so popular that a British publisher issued The Young Man’s Valentine Writer, full of suggestions for verses in valentine greetings. Cards with verses were already being printed at the time of the Valentine Writer, and numbers of mailed valentines began to soar. By 18th-century England, lovers were exchanging flowers and sweets along with greetings. Today, it’s estimated that average Valentine’s Day spending is upward of $100 per person.

CRAFTS & RECIPES

Gifts may be a nice gesture, but Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to cost a fortune—especially with the DIY ideas from Martha Stewart, DIY Network and Real Simple.

Kids can craft Valentine’s Day greetings with help from Disney’s Family Fun.

 

Valentine’s Day: From chocolates to saints, feel the love on this global holiday

February 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14: Chocolates, hearts and expressions of love are flowing around the world today—all in a tradition that dates back to a legendary, early Christian saint—even though, technically, there were multiple Valentines in early Christianity.

The truth is: This holiday’s history is a bit misty … In ancient Rome, the fertility festival Lupercalia was observed February 13-15, although historians cannot document specific historical links between Lupercalia and the modern Valentine’s Day. For that matter, history doesn’t document any romantic association with Valentine’s Day until the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer.

The embers of courtly love began glowing in the High Middle Ages, and by the end of the 18th century, Valentine cards were being produced and exchanged. Through the decades, Valentines evolved from lace-and-ribbon trinkets to paper stationery to a holiday involving more expensive gifts, chocolates and, more recently, jewelry. (Wikipedia has details.) The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent in the United States each year (not including the inexpensive Valentine cards exchanged among schoolchildren).

Many Christian churches discuss God’s love and the sacrament of marriage in liturgy around Valentine’s Day. (Read Pope Benedict’s first encyclical, God is Love, and more at American Catholic.)

ST. VALENTINE(S):
Nearly a dozen of them!?!

Down through the centuries, Christians have honored nearly a dozen St. Valentines, so any research into the history of the “real” St. Valentine quickly veers toward confusion. Some authors have simplified the matter by giving their own chosen version, but the truth is …

“Nothing is reliably known of St. Valentine except his name and the fact that he died on February 14,” says Wikipedia in a detailed overview of the many Valentines.

How about the noble Encyclopedia Britannica? EB says only that St. Valentine is the “name of two legendary martyrs whose lives seem to be historically based. One was a Roman priest and physician who suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus and was buried on the Via Flaminia. Pope St. Julius I reportedly built a basilica over his grave. The other, bishop of Terni, Italy, was martyred, apparently also in Rome, and his relics were later taken to Terni. It is possible these are different versions of the same original account and refer to only one person.”

And, American Catholic magazine? That’s one of today’s most popular sources of information for Catholic families. Editors at American Catholic conclude: “Although the mid-February holiday celebrating love and lovers remains wildly popular, the confusion over its origins led the Catholic Church, in 1969, to drop St. Valentine’s Day from the Roman calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts. Those highly sought-after days are reserved for saints with more clear historical record. After all, the saints are real individuals for us to imitate. Some parishes, however, observe the feast of St. Valentine.”

So,  if your friends start talking about the history of the “real” St. Valentine—you’re on solid ground to say: “Yes, but no one knows for sure.”

Clearly, churches are free to focus on St. Valentine’s Day—or ignore it—but Catholics worldwide are hearing about a new appeal from Pope Francis I, called “The Joy of Yes Forever.” For weeks now, Vatican officials have been organizing a special gathering of married couples from around the world for a special audience with the pontiff on February 14. Francis is planning to talk about the importance of marriage on the worldwide holiday.

CHOCOLATES, GREETINGS
AND VALENTINE CUSTOMS

Albeit a relatively new addition to Asian culture, Valentine’s Day claims its biggest spenders in this region: Customarily, women in South Korea and Japan give chocolates to all male co-workers, friends and lovers on February 14, with men returning the favor two- or threefold on “White Day,” which occurs on March 14. Residents of Singapore spend, on average, between $100 and $500 on Valentine’s Day gifts, according to a recent report.

French and Welsh households commemorate Christian saints of love, and in Finland and Latin American countries, “love” extends to friends and friendships. Western countries most often acknowledge Valentine’s Day with greeting cards, candies and romantic dinner dates. However, in Islamic countries, many officials have deemed Valentine’s Day as unsuitable for Islamic culture, and in Saudi Arabia, religious police have banned the sale of Valentine’s Day items.

DELICIOUS VALENTINE LINKS

  • Kids can get a heart-ful dose of craft ideas at Spoonful.com.
  • Check out the most romantic restaurants in America by clicking over to Open Table, which rates the nation’s top eateries for lovers. (Photos included.)

IN THE NEWS:
DUCHESS KATE … AND MORE

Duchess Kate of England will open an art center on Valentine’s Day, reports Today.com. For two years, the royal has been a patron of Art Room, a charity that uses art as therapy for children with emotional and behavioral hurdles; today, she will be opening an Art Room at a London high school. The Valentine’s Day appearance will be Kate’s first official event of 2014.

House Democrats have prepared to launch “What Women Need for Valentine’s Day,” an online campaign that spreads awareness of women’s desire for equal pay and treatment in the workplace. Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon will join activists in sharing their Valentine’s Day wish list, which includes equal pay and, most likely, paid family and medical leave and affordable childcare.

Note: The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Valentine’s Day on July 6 and July 30.