RSS 2.0 - Blog FeedHappy Valentine's Day!
Saint Valentine's Day, celebrating love and affection between intimate companions, is held each year on February 14, and that day is only a few days away. A brief history and legend of St. Valentine's day and how it came to be.
Saint Valentine's Day, celebrating love and affection between intimate companions, is held each year on February 14, and that day is only a few days away.
The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. Historical archives make mention of at least three different individuals (and perhaps as many as seven) with the name of Saint Valentine. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius declared the 14th as a designated feast day to honor Saint Valentine, patron saint of lovers and engaged couples, martyred by the Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. Claudius found it difficult to recruit the male populace into joining his military leagues, believing that Roman men were adverse to leaving their loved ones or their families. Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements within the City of Rome. The reason Saint Valentine was killed (clubbed, stoned, and then beheaded) was that he continued to marry young couples even though Claudius forbade it.
It is said that Saints do not rest in peace and they’re expected to keep busy, to perform miracles and to intercede.
In popular culture and often as an icon of Valentine’s Day, Cupid, the god of desire, affection and erotic love, is frequently shown shooting his bow to inspire romantic love. In the Roman version, Cupid was the son of Venus (goddess of love) and Mars (god of war.) He is a small, winged boy, blindfolded, carrying a bow and arrows. The arrows, once struck in the heart, makes the victim fall in love.
For the legend of Cupid and Psyche, click here.
One of the most powerful symbols of Valentine's day is a rose flower. The lovely rose stands for beauty, passion, and love. Every February 14, lovers long for a gift of a rose from their sweetheart on Valentine's day, as the flower has come to denote, "I Love You." There is an interesting story behind the legend of the Valentine's Day rose.
Greek mythology has an unusual tale to explain the origin of the rose. Rondanthe was a beautiful Greek maiden. So beautiful, in fact, that she was constantly followed by hopeful suitors. To no avail, Rodanthe had no interest in any of them and ignored them completely. So spellbound by her beauty, the young men could not help but relentlessly pursue her. The goddess Diana could not fail to notice the commotion that Rodanthe was creating. Diana was enraged by the folly of the young men, exasperated by the dismissive attitude of Rodanthe, and jealous that she herself was not the object of this attention. In her anger, Diana turned Rodanthe into a rose. The suitors who had so stung her with their slight, she turned into the rose's thorns. The Romans told a different story. Mourning the death of her beloved Adonis, Venus wept in a garden. As her tears fell they turned into beautiful white roses. Her son Cupid was in the garden when he was practicing shooting arrows and then suddenly stung by a bee. His shots went awry and stuck into the stems of roses, becoming the thorns. When Venus tore her foot on a thorn, drops of blood fell and became red roses.
Happy Valentine's Day!
May St. Valentine intercede for every heart that shares true love and may Cupid shower you with love.
<3 Chichi Girls
Tags: st. valentines day, valetine, roses, cupid, february 14, feb 14, love, st. valentine, red rose, romance
The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. Historical archives make mention of at least three different individuals (and perhaps as many as seven) with the name of Saint Valentine. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius declared the 14th as a designated feast day to honor Saint Valentine, patron saint of lovers and engaged couples, martyred by the Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. Claudius found it difficult to recruit the male populace into joining his military leagues, believing that Roman men were adverse to leaving their loved ones or their families. Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements within the City of Rome. The reason Saint Valentine was killed (clubbed, stoned, and then beheaded) was that he continued to marry young couples even though Claudius forbade it.It is said that Saints do not rest in peace and they’re expected to keep busy, to perform miracles and to intercede.
In popular culture and often as an icon of Valentine’s Day, Cupid, the god of desire, affection and erotic love, is frequently shown shooting his bow to inspire romantic love. In the Roman version, Cupid was the son of Venus (goddess of love) and Mars (god of war.) He is a small, winged boy, blindfolded, carrying a bow and arrows. The arrows, once struck in the heart, makes the victim fall in love.For the legend of Cupid and Psyche, click here.
One of the most powerful symbols of Valentine's day is a rose flower. The lovely rose stands for beauty, passion, and love. Every February 14, lovers long for a gift of a rose from their sweetheart on Valentine's day, as the flower has come to denote, "I Love You." There is an interesting story behind the legend of the Valentine's Day rose.Greek mythology has an unusual tale to explain the origin of the rose. Rondanthe was a beautiful Greek maiden. So beautiful, in fact, that she was constantly followed by hopeful suitors. To no avail, Rodanthe had no interest in any of them and ignored them completely. So spellbound by her beauty, the young men could not help but relentlessly pursue her. The goddess Diana could not fail to notice the commotion that Rodanthe was creating. Diana was enraged by the folly of the young men, exasperated by the dismissive attitude of Rodanthe, and jealous that she herself was not the object of this attention. In her anger, Diana turned Rodanthe into a rose. The suitors who had so stung her with their slight, she turned into the rose's thorns. The Romans told a different story. Mourning the death of her beloved Adonis, Venus wept in a garden. As her tears fell they turned into beautiful white roses. Her son Cupid was in the garden when he was practicing shooting arrows and then suddenly stung by a bee. His shots went awry and stuck into the stems of roses, becoming the thorns. When Venus tore her foot on a thorn, drops of blood fell and became red roses.
Happy Valentine's Day!
May St. Valentine intercede for every heart that shares true love and may Cupid shower you with love.
<3 Chichi Girls
Tags: st. valentines day, valetine, roses, cupid, february 14, feb 14, love, st. valentine, red rose, romance