?? Valentine ??

So it's Valentines Day.  I took some time to discover a little bit about where Valentines Day comes from.  Thanks to Wikipedia, I found some interesting things to ponder...

Valentines Day is on February 14.   In early Rome, 'Lupercalia' which was observed between February 13 through the 15th  was a fertility rite where a festival was held in honor of 'Juno' the Roman God.

In Ancient Athens the calendar period between mid-January and mid-February was called the month of Gamelion and it was dedicated to the marriage of the Greek Gods Zeus and Hera.

In early Christian times, there were a couple of Christian martyrs named Valentinus.  One was a priest in Rome who was martyred about 269 AD.  The other, Valentinus of Terni, was a Catholic Bishop at about 197 AD.  And a third, saint, who was said to be martyred in Africa.  One of the 'Valentines' is said to have been buried on February 14th. 

There is a midieval legend about Saint Valentine that says he was interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II.  It says Claudius wanted Valentinus to convert to the Roman pagan beliefs.  It also says that Claudius banned marriage to young men who served in his army.  Valentinus went against the ban, and performed secret marriages for the soldiers.  Evidently when he was found out, Claudius imprisoned him.  Another legend is that on the eve of his execution, Valentinus sent a note to a 'loved' one through the window of his prison.  That last one was provided by American Greetings to History.com.  Most of these legends have no proven historical basis - but make a good story, nonetheless.

Also during midieval times, Jeffrey Chaucer is recorded to have written about Valentines Day "when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."

And most of us know the Victorian significance of the day, being when Valentine cards first were sent out to those we love.  The rest is commercialized history.

Anyhoo... just found some of these interesting.  What are we doing for Valentines Day?  We're having pizza for dinner with heart-shaped pepperoni's.  Happy Valentines Day!