What You Don’t Know About Valentine’s Day
The annual holiday to express your love has some rather fascinating (and convoluted) roots. Imagine for a moment you’re in ancient Rome. As February 14th approaches, young Roman women would write their names down on a piece of paper. As the village celebrated Juno, the Queen of the Roman Gods, and Goddess of Women and Marriage, young men would randomly draw a woman’s name. The two would be paired for the duration of the celebration. The next day brought the feast of Lupercalia, which is also the “fertility festival.” Wow! Talk about love at first sight! So where does St. Valentine come in? It turns out that he was a priest who was secretly marrying couples so men wouldn’t be forced into the Emperor’s military. Let’s just say that the Emperor wasn’t too happy about this, and Valentine didn’t make it out alive. It would take another 1,200 years before King Henry VII declared February 14th a holiday.
So from some rather unpleasant beginnings, comes a day to shower the love of your life with gifts and compliments. This week, we have a dozen roses for just $17.99 and fresh chocolate-covered strawberries for just $1.50 each! Certainly more elegant, and much more romantic, than the amazing history of the day! Happy Valentine’s Day!