It is that time of year again.
I started here.
Valentine’s Day:
The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern-day love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honoured by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Monday, February 14, 2022. … Valentines commonly depict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts, traditionally the seat of emotion.
The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.
The earliest possible origin story of Valentine’s Day is the pagan holiday Lupercalia. Occurring for centuries in the middle of February, the holiday celebrates fertility. Men would strip naked and sacrifice a goat and dog. … When Pope Gelasius came to power in the late fifth century he put an end to Lupercalia.
Valentine’s Day in Egypt is celebrated on two different days. While Egyptians express love to sweethearts on February 14 like everywhere else, they also have a separate local date (“Eid el-Hob el-Masri,” or Egyptian Love Day) on November 4th. … Traditional flowers and chocolates are the go-to gifts in Egypt.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailer’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the USA, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, and Australia, and is increasing in popularity in many other parts of the world.
Love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Why I celebrate 14 days of Valentine’s Day (and in the same breath say that I am not romantic):
I do not think that we love each other enough.
I also think it is possible to love our fellow humans and not feel romantic. I use these days to throw myself 100% into a glorious thanksgiving. I do not understand the consumerism of the holiday. I want to give to those that I love from my heart. I am not very good at expressing my emotions/feelings so making a grand gesture of them once and a while takes planning!
It is (a) hyperfocus of my insides. The inner workings of my heart.
Sometimes I get bashful (? is this the right term?) because I put so much of myself into these projects and afterwards I realise how vulnerable I just made myself.
It makes me not want to do things of that nature again.
I understand (to some extent) that growth is necessary. Opening myself up is the only way I will evolve.
