Originally posted by wanabeimagineer
Mine was just like any other day, but that's OK because Valentine's Day isn't really for me (possibly because I've never had a valentine?) I just don't like the idea of a holiday created by a greeting card company. Anyway my day was spent putting the rear-view mirror back on in my car and putting new windshield wipers on. Then I worked from 5 untill 11:30 at night. We were busy thanks to Valentine's Day :lol:
Sorry to hear it was just another day for you.
St. Valentine's day is not a holiday created by greeting card companies though.
It is much much older than any Hallmark
Our holiday today is the vestigialremains of what was once known as the Lupercal. And that great feast of the ancients was really meant for teens and unmarried people.
What would happen (and I am sure some of the singles here might quite enjoy the festival) is that the unmarried teen boys would draw names of the unmarried teen girls from a box. The girl whose name he had drawn would then be his sexual partner and temporary wife for one year, until the next lupercal. Basically, hot and heavy dating made easy.
When Christianity made the scene, the ritual was changed and the names of saints were placed in the box. (Doesn't sound as much fun to me). To make people interested in the new ritual and to replace the pagan god Lupercus a patron saint for the feast was needed. The pope chose St. Valentine, because way back when the emperor had forbidden soldiers to marry and St. Valentine would perform wedding ceremonies of soldiers in love with girls in secret (because of which he was imprisioned and due in part to him falling in love with the jail warden's daughter, then literally lost his head).
The holiday has since been a celebration of young love, puppy love, crushes and now, love in general.
But, greeting card companies merely capitalized on the holiday, they didn't create it.
Mother's day, and Father's day however ARE invented holidays by companies. But hey, we should have had those days before anyway!