St. Valentine's Day, February 14, is the traditional day on which lovers in certain cultures let each other know about their love, by sending Valentine's cards, which are often anonymous. The Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.The middle of February has been associated with love and fertility dates back to the ancient times of Athens & Rome. In Athens the period between mid January and mid February was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.
In Rome, February 15 was the festival of Lupercus, the god of fertility, who was represented as half-naked and dressed in goat skins. As part of the purification ritual, the priests of Lupercus would sacrifice goats to the god, and after drinking wine, they would run through the streets of Rome holding pieces of the goat skin above their heads, touching anyone they met. Young women especially would come forth voluntarily for the occasion, in the belief that being so touched would render them fruitful and bring easy childbirth.
Now days gifts of flowers, chocolates, cards, and even fine jewelry rank high on the lists. It's a time to say I love you and do something special for that someone you love. This year I'm going to need to celebrate on the ancient Roman date. That's right tomorrow I'll do my best to be home early and spend sometime with my wife & daughter. I managed to pick today of all days to do a server switch and as you can guess, it did not go off with out a hitch. Crossing fingers I'll have better luck in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment