Wednesday, February 13, 2013

A Valentine's Day Special!

You know it's really weird how some years the media makes a bigger deal out of this than others. I swear today here in Sydney I hear and saw at least double the normal stories and competitions for Valentine's Day, or as my son calls it...rip off the bloke day ! LOL

There is a lot of confusion and contention surrounding the origins of St Valentine's Day. Some say the original St Valentine was a priest who was jailed for secretly marrying couples when marriage was illegal...he was apparently beheaded. Yuck!

However, the roots of St. Valentine's Day lie in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15. For 800 years the Romans had dedicated this day to the god Lupercus. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year.

Pope Gelasius I was, understandably, less than thrilled with this custom. So he changed the lottery to have both young men and women draw the names of saints whom they would then emulate for the year (a change that no doubt disappointed a few young men). Instead of Lupercus, the patron of the feast became Valentine.

For Roman men, the day continued to be an occasion to seek the affections of women, and it became a tradition to give out handwritten messages of admiration that included Valentine's name. This was probably the real story...but hey, I think that Festival of Lupercalia sounds kinda fun don't you?

So back to what we think it is all about...spending time with someone you love...letting that special someone know how much they mean to you..all good things! So Enjoy the day and may many St. Valentine's Blessings be upon you!

I got a Happy Valentine's Kiss this morning and will be having champagne tonight! Tell us what you did or are going to do to celebrate!

AND to add to the fun - MOONLIT ENCOUNTERS is on special for 99 cents to celebrate Valentines Day! That a bargain! It's EIGHT stories! Click HERE to buy it!

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