Valentine Frenzy - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Valentine's Day - a day for lovers and would-be lovers! The holiday aisles are packed today with the hopeful fighting their way through the milling crowds to find that one special item to fill their loved ones' hearts with glee!  Of course there are those who find Valentine's Day a worthless holiday, grumbling about the commercialization, the anxiety of choices, the cost - but for those of us who value the day, it is a day to show we care. 


And how did Valentine's Day originate?  

I quote from the "History of Valentine's Day":

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus."

See:  http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day

While Valentine's Day may have become commercialized by the masses, it does have its place in history.  And what better way to celebrate the day than a box of chocolates, a bouquet of flowers and a romantic evening with that someone special?
  


Or if there isn't someone special, perhaps a book or two!



Happy Valentine's Day!

Buy links (Amazon):

https://www.amazon.com/Chalice-P-L-Parker-ebook/dp/B00BUDETUI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486940374&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chalice+by+p.l.+parker

https://www.amazon.com/Breeder-Slave-P-L-Parker-ebook/dp/B01N7YXDW9/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1486940430&sr=1-1&keywords=breeder+slave+by+p.l.+parker