THE Valentine's Day Retail Rip-off

In Ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno, Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Feast of Lupercalia started the next day. 

During these times boys and girls were segregated. However, the young people had a custom that began on the eve of the Festival of Lupercalia. The girl's names were written on pieces of paper and inserted into jars. Each boy then drew a girl's name from the jar and they were partners throughout the Festival. After being paired, the children would often continue to see each other throughout the year and on occasion even fell in love and got married. 

Emperor Claudius II of Rome, also known as Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time recruiting men as soldiers. He believed that the men did not want to leave their sweethearts and cancelled all engagements and marriages throughout Rome. St. Valentine, a priest of Rome at the time, secretly married couples. He was eventually caught, arrested and condemned. He was beaten to death and beheaded on February 14th, around the year 270. 

Lupercalia was a feast to a heathen God. Pastors and priests of the early Christian church did away with the pagan custom by replacing the names of the girls with the names of saints. They chose St. Valentine's Day as the day of celebration for the new feast. 

Valentine Day greetings became popular during the middles ages. During that time period, lovers sang or spoke their sentiments. Paper and written Valentines became popular at the end of the 15th Century. The oldest Valentine that exists today was made during this era and is on display in the British Museum. 

Today, due to our obsession with following traditions we know nothing about we spend excessively on this day to prove affections we should have been showing every other day of the year. Appreciating those close to you has little to do with money or the word love, it is a common ground we all share, the need to bond with others. 

We have allowed this day, which is Pagan based, to become a media retail driven nightmare, with women demanding attention, an expensive dinner out and gifts, and men following suit, all like good little sheep.

I say know the history of the holiday, and save your money.