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Posted

Does anyone else kind of think that Valentine's Day is pointless? Why should you love someone more today than at other times?

I don't know if people wanna talk about that or if this should just be a post about single people sulking around today.

I just know my friends and I just going to watch some kickass movies today

Posted (edited)

Does anyone else kind of think that Valentine's Day is pointless? Why should you love someone more today than at other times?

I don't know if people wanna talk about that or if this should just be a post about single people sulking around today.

I just know my friends and I just going to watch some kickass movies today

Maybe pointless to some, but I see it as a day to be especially attentive to the man I love whom I also love the other 364 days of the year too. In living the day to day grind, one might become negligent to treating that special someone with loving care. I try not to fall into that rut but today is an opportunity to show the one you love a little more.

A valentine does not necessarilty have to be a significant other. It could be a child ,a parent or a good friend. Just someone who might mean a little more to you and would take delight in being thought of.

We got each other a card and tonight I will be making a nice dinner with wine and I decided to try making some chocolate covered strawberries. Mmmmm. Well the rest of the evening will be...... :wub:

Edited by ledzepfvr
Posted (edited)

Maybe pointless to some, but I see it as a day to be especially attentive to the man I love whom I also love the other 364 days of the year too. In living the day to day grind, one might become negligent to treating that special someone with loving care. I try not to fall into that rut but today is an opportunity to show the one you love a little more.

A valentine does not necessarilty have to be a significant other. It could be a child ,a parent or a good friend. Just someone who might mean a little more to you and would take delight in being thought of.

We got each other a card and tonight I will be making a nice dinner with wine and I decided to try making some chocolate covered strawberries. Mmmmm. Well the rest of the evening will be...... :wub:

i agree!

and yes, you can say it's just to make hallmark more money, but you don't have to buy a card, or flowers, or anything else!

i think of it in the same way as mothers and fathers day, just a day where you show some extra love, if you feel it.

and, it's a great day to get engaged ....... ;):P:rolleyes::D

Edited by slave to zep
Posted

So it is real after all

Valentine's Day History

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.

Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers. There was often a social gathering or a ball.

In the United States, Miss Esther Howland is given credit for sending the first valentine cards. Commercial valentines were introduced in the 1800's and now the date is very commercialised. The town of Loveland, Colorado, does a large post office business around February 14. The spirit of good continues as valentines are sent out with sentimental verses and children exchange valentine cards at school.

The History of Saint Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.

The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.

St. Valentine's Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!

Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting. Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps of soldiers.

One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was death.

I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that love can't be beaten!

Valentine Traditions

Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:

Good morning to you, valentine;

Curl your locks as I do mine ---

Two before and three behind.

Good morning to you, valentine.

In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.

Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!

Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.

Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.

If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.

Posted

I spent today with my Valentine who always makes me happy! We went to another ice skating lesson and i took pictures of how wonderful she is doing. After dropping my nieces off at their dad's house, my Valentine and i had a delicious Japanese lunch together. I bought her a nice card that made her face light up with joy and a sticker book that we are going to create a story with together. As ledzepfvr said, it doesn't have to be a significant other to be your Valentine... and while i love my daughter every day with all my heart, it's nice to have a special day to celebrate the love. I always like a guy who finds Valentine's day romantic.

Posted

I spent today with my Valentine who always makes me happy! We went to another ice skating lesson and i took pictures of how wonderful she is doing. After dropping my nieces off at their dad's house, my Valentine and i had a delicious Japanese lunch together. I bought her a nice card that made her face light up with joy and a sticker book that we are going to create a story with together. As ledzepfvr said, it doesn't have to be a significant other to be your Valentine... and while i love my daughter every day with all my heart, it's nice to have a special day to celebrate the love. I always like a guy who finds Valentine's day romantic.

hi tangerine! that's a sweet way to spend valentines day, and exactly what i would expect from you! i've said it before, but your daughter has a great mum!

Posted (edited)

hi tangerine! that's a sweet way to spend valentines day, and exactly what i would expect from you! i've said it before, but your daughter has a great mum!

Hi slave to zep! I couldn't ask to spend the day with a sweeter person! Thank you for the nice compliment, and Happy Valentine's Day to you, from one great mum to another!!!

Edited by ~tangerine~
Posted

I think it's a nice idea to have a day to celebrate love. I mean, not that you shouldn't focus on love the rest of the year, but if you're going to have a celebration, love seems like a great thing to celebrate! It does bum me out that it's all focused on romantic love, though. I felt like such a dork going out to dinner with my parents tonight, ugh. And, disregarding my personal lack of a boyfriend, in general it seems like we could all use to focus on love for all humankind, and that we could take the opportunity to think of those less fortunate than us, like in Haiti right now. I think it'd be cool if there was sort of a service element added to the day, in addition to caring about our significant others. Of course, that makes for a heck of a busy day, but in theory, it'd be a nice thought, I think.

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