People all over the world are gearing up to shower their loved ones with lavish gifts, fabulous dinners and elaborate displays of affection on February 14, Valentine's day.
Many have enthusiastically adopted this custom but few have bothered to give thought to the origins of Valentines Day and it's Patron Saint, St Valentine. Let's take a look at where this day came from.
The origins of Valentine's day can be traced as far back as 270 BC in the Roman Empire and two of history's most famous festivals Lupercalia and the feast day of Juno Februata.
On February 14, in celebration of the goddess of love, purification, and women, Juno Februata, the names of teenage girls would be placed in a box. Teenage boys would draw out the names and become "couples" to engage in sexual and erotic games at feasts and parties. They would remain sexual partners for the rest of the year.
From the 13 - 15 February until it was changed to the 14, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia, a drunken festival of sexual license in honor of Lupercus or Faunus, protector of herds and crops, god of fertility and husbandry, and mighty hunter of wolves. Vestal Virgins and male priests would congregate in the Lupercal cave, where the Romans believed Romulus and Remus were nursed by a She-wolf as infants before founding the city of Rome, for purification and fertility rituals involving the sacrifice of dogs and goats. They would then smear themselves with blood, cut the goat hide into strips, dip the strips in the sacrificial blood and run around town striking women with the strips. This was believed to make them more fertile. Encyclopedia Britannica, 1910 Edition, reports that in 296 B.C. a bronze she-wolf was placed in the cave.It was not until AD494 that Pope Gelasius I changed the name of the festival to “Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary” and later to Valentines Day in honor of St Valentine. Instead of putting the names of girls into a box, the names of “saints” were drawn by both boys and girls.
Who was Saint Valentine?
There are over a dozen St Valentines recognized by the Catholic Church, however, the St Valentine of Valentines day debate is normally between three.
One legend suggests that when Emperor Claudius II forbade marriages for young men in the hope of making better soldiers, Valentine continued marrying them in secret and was later put to death for this. Another legend is that of a Valentine who helped Christians escape Roman prisons who was put to death for this. Legend has it that while in prison, awaiting execution Valentine fell in love with the jailer's daughter and before he died sent her a letter signing off " From your Valentine". Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome still has on display the "apparent" flower-adorned skull of St Valentine.
But who was the First Valentine?
Valentine means strong, powerful and mighty from the Latin, Valentinus and history suggests that the original Valentine was indeed Lupercus. Lupercus was known by the Greeks as Pan and by the Semites as Baal who is also mentioned in the Bible as Nimrod, described as "the MIGHTY hunter before the Lord" in Genesis. Nimrod was also known as "Sanctuc" or "Santa" which translated means Saint. Legend has it that Nimrod, aka Saturn, fled pursuers to Italy hiding out in the mountains before he was caught and slain on the very site where Rome was later built. Rome was previously known as Saturnia (where Saturn hid). Nimrod was born in the winter solstice and his birth was celebrated on December 25 as the feast of Saturnalia while on February 14, Seramis, the mother of Nimrod appeared in public for the first time with Nimrod after purification. This child Nimrod was also known as Cupid which had all women lusting after him including his own mother who he later married. Daniel 11:37 calls him the "desire of women." European pagans, embarrassed by the image of Nimrod, the son of Cush an Ethiopian, later substituted Nimrod with the image of Horus (his supposed son) giving us the modern day Cupid. The Valentines heart symbol originated from the Babylonians whose name for Baal was Bal which also means heart.
Valentine is also the patron saint of beekeepers according to the Catholic Church. Cupids original depiction is a bow of sugarcane strung with bees and the arrows are tipped with five flowers to overcome the five senses.
Well steemians, there you have it, the origins of this "day of love"
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