Today is February 14th, Valentine's Day, so I thought it may be fun to learn a little history behind the myth! The first recorded instance of Valentine's Day comes in 496 AD. That day, February 14th, was set aside by Pope Gelasius I to remember several martyrs with the name "Valentine." Although there are varying stories about each of these "saints," they were all murdered for their religious views. Not exactly romantic!
The first recorded instance of Valentine's Day being "romantic" was by writer Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382, when he penned (or more likely, quilled, ha ha!) his poem, "Parlement of Foules," which means Parliament of the Birds. In his poem, he wrote:
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
Which means, "for this was St. Valentine's day, when ever bird comes there to choose his mate." It was this poem that set into motion the whole concept of Valentine's day being a romantic date, but its very ironic because the poem was actually written to honor the first anniversary of King Richard II of England's engagement to Anne of Bohemia. It was common back on in those days that royalty from neighboring or warring nations would marry, providing some peace between nations, and such a treaty between Bohemia and England was signed on May 2, 1381. May 2 is also the day of remembrance of St. Valentine of Genoa. Here it seems Chaucer's May 2 reference to romantic love was married to the February 14th day set aside by Pope Gelasius I.
The rest of course, is history. Our culture has seemingly moved on to develop the date into a celebration of not only our love for a significant other, but also for our family and friends. I hope that you have a happy Valentine's day with your family and friends, and I ask that you remember another one of our friends, The Children's Miracle Network, who does so much to help young children in need of significant health care. Please take time during your celebrations today to send a small "Valentine's Day gift" to support their work. You can send it right here by clicking on the link below!
Happy Valentine's Day!
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