Valentine’s
Day History & Traditions
Many believe that
Valentine’s Day originated with St. Valentine. Yes and no.
There are three Catholic accepted saints with the name Valentine or
Valentinus and were martyred as the legends of St. Valentine say.
However, others say it started long before any Saint.
Some say February 14th
is the day birds typically chose their mates,
and therefore the holiday originated out of observation of this
ritual.
However, there is
another custom that may have
influenced Valentine’s Day and the Catholic
Church merged Christian beliefs with pagan celebration to convert new
members, etc. In Rome, February 15th
was Lupercalia. This was a fertility festival honoring Faunus–Roman
god of agriculture and Juno-goddess of women and marriage. It was
also a holiday dedicated to Romulus and Remus the twin founders of
Rome. Pagan priests would kill a goat-for fertility inside a cave
where they thought a wolf or lupa had raised Romulus and Remus. After
the sacrifice, the priests would take the strips of goat hide and
touch all the women and fields. It was believed that this would
increase the fertility of both for the year. Bloody goat strips, the
ancients idea of fertility drugs.
Toward the end of the
day, eligible women entered their name in a Lupercalian urn.
Then the bachelors, each, drew out a name. These couples would remain
together for the year—and often ended in marriage—talk about a
matchmaking service with good odds.
The ‘drawing you love’s name’ didn’t die out, during the Middle Ages and again in the 1800’s, single men and women would draw a name for their Valentine. Then, they would wear the name on their sleeve for a week where everyone could see it. I wonder if this is where the term ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ came from?
The ‘drawing you love’s name’ didn’t die out, during the Middle Ages and again in the 1800’s, single men and women would draw a name for their Valentine. Then, they would wear the name on their sleeve for a week where everyone could see it. I wonder if this is where the term ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ came from?
Valentine may have been a priest in Rome in the third century. Fable says that Emperor Claudius II forbade marriage because he believed that men without wives and families made better soldiers since they had no other commitments. However, Valentine, did not obey and performed secret marriages. When the Emperor heard of his defiance, Valentine was executed.
Other legends believe
that Valentine was killed for helping Christians escape Roman
prisons. Imprisoned, Valentine fell in love
with a young woman. It is believed before his execution; he sent her
a note and signed it “From your Valentine”. Some believe that
Valentine was another word for ‘sweetheart’…hmmm I wonder if
that’s why those candy hearts with messages are called Sweethearts.
Late in the fifth
century, Pope Gelasius forbade Lupercalia and
stated February 14th
as St. Valentine’s Day. Still, this day was not linked to love,
romance, or even an official holiday until later.
In medieval times,
people believed the first unmarried person
you saw on Valentine’s Day was the one you were destined to marry.
The oldest written
Valentine is a poem written by Charles the
Duke of Orleans to his wife, while he was in the Tower of London
around 1415.
Valentine’s Day was
not an official holiday until King Henry VIII
in 1537. I wonder if he did this to appease one of his wives?
Figure Cupid & Psyche - Photo
Google Images - License: Free to use, share or modify, even
commercially
Cupid
was the son Venus the goddess of love. Venus
grew jealous of tales of a human woman named Psyche’s beauty. The
goddess sent her son to kill her rival. However, when Cupid gazed
upon sleeping Psyche, he fell in love. Every night he visited her,
telling her not to look upon him, and left before sunrise. She grows
impatient to see this nightly lover and brings a lantern. When he
learns of her betrayal, he flees. She begs for forgiveness and agrees
to three trails by his mother, Venus. Psyche passes, and is given
ambrosia to gain immortality and marry Cupid.
In
honor of Valentine’s Day and love stories like Cupid and Psyche,
both of my romance novels are on sale:
The
Garnet Dagger
(fantasy/
paranormal romance) and Viking
Fire
(historical romance with a touch of magic) $1.99 at Amazon Kindle for
the entire month of February!
Also,
all 2012 and 2013 Crimson Romance ebook titles are also $1.99
– Amazon link for all Crimson Romance ebooks:
-http://goo.gl/VOnRXg or
just click on the banner above.
What is your favorite
Valentine Day gift/tradition?
Bibliography:
Blurb:
In 856 CE, Ireland is a land of myth, magic, and blood. Viking raiders have fought the Irish for over half a century. Rival Irish clans promise only betrayal and carnage.
Kaireen, daughter of Laird Liannon, is suddenly forced into an arranged marriage with her sworn enemy, a Viking. She refuses to submit. With no mention of love, only land and the protection of her clan, she endeavors to get her betrothed banished from her country. Will love find its way around her stubborn heart?
Bram, the Viking, finds himself without future or inheritance as a younger son in his family. A marriage to the Laird’s daughter would grant him land if he swears fidelity and if his men will fight along with the Liannons against any foe—Irish or Viking. However, the Laird’s feisty daughter only holds animosity for him and his kind. Is marriage worth the battle scars of such a relentless opponent?
With the blame for a rival laird’s death treacherously set against the Liannons, Kaireen and Bram must find a way to lay aside their differences as an unforeseen darkness sends death snapping at their heels.
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble
iTunes
Viking Fire
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/m1bPZ3nUyzs
Excerpt:
Chapter
One
Ireland
856 CE (condensed)
“I
renounce Father for this.” Kaireen threw the elderberry gown.
“Shame
on you and your children for speaking such.” Her handmaid, Elva,
gathered the damask and then dusted off the rushes. “It’s a
wonder one of the clim has not scolded you from your hearth for such
talk.”
“No,
curse Father for a fool.” She plopped on her bed and a goose
feather floated away. With a huff, she leaned against the oak
headboard. Red curtains puffed like a robin’s chest around oak
poles supporting her wooden canopy.
Her
bare feet brushed against the stone floor.
“You
know your da arranged a marriage within a season.” Elva smirked.
Kaireen
shook her head. “To another land holder,” and waved a hand in
disgust, “not t-this heathen. Twice they raided our land in the
last month alone. Now father wants me as wife to one of them?” She
clenched her fists. “No, I will not marry this Viking.”
Elva
smiled, reminding Kaireen of the rumors of her handmaid’s uncanny
foresight.
Whispers
of Elva making strange things happen and often blamed as the cause of Kaireen’s
stubborn refusal to behave as a laird’s daughter should.
“You’ve
not seen him yet.” Elva wiggled her brows.
“So?”
Kaireen shrugged. “I would like to never see him.”
“Well
then, would you not like to know if you have a handsome husband or
not?” She waited for her response, but Kaireen scowled. Elva
chuckled. “I would rather get a good look at him now than the
morning after.”
Kaireen’s
ears heated. “I am not marrying.” She shook her head for
emphasis. “So there will be no morning, nor night, nor wedding.”
“If
he is handsome, I may fight you for him.” Elva smiled, deepening
the wrinkles around her eyes.
“Welcome
to him either way.” Kaireen laughed.
Reviews:
“Andrea Cooper weaves a tantalizing tale of life in a not-too-civilized Ireland. Best of all she weaves in the unique thread of a courtship filled with fun, fury, and fighting that leads to a love that show how true loves are willing to give their lives to protect each other. Good entertainment.” --Long and Short Reviews
"The story is fast paced with almost constant action. The love story is sweet as Kaireen matures into an incredible and strong woman. Sinister plots and violent betrayals tell a compelling story. A very enjoyable story." --Night Owl Reviews
The Garnet Dagger – Book 1 of the Garnet series
Blurb:
Everyone knows what
happens when a vampire bites a human…but what if the victim is
Elvin?
Forbidden
to cross the Elvin barrier into human lands, Brock cannot sate his
curiosity. Cursed by a vampyre bite that forces him to feed on the
life-essence of others, he is unable to touch another without taking
their life. Chained by prophesy, he must find a witch, pierce her
heart, and draw her blood for his cure.
Celeste must escape the monks who have held her prisoner for years. Her magic has been kept dormant by her captors. An ancient powerful Warloc craves her powers. If he succeeds in devouring her magic, she and his world will die.
When Brock falls in love with Celeste before realizing her demise is his cure, will love triumph over his desire to be healed? Will he risk everything to save her from a Warloc, an oath breaker, who also wants her dead?
Celeste must escape the monks who have held her prisoner for years. Her magic has been kept dormant by her captors. An ancient powerful Warloc craves her powers. If he succeeds in devouring her magic, she and his world will die.
When Brock falls in love with Celeste before realizing her demise is his cure, will love triumph over his desire to be healed? Will he risk everything to save her from a Warloc, an oath breaker, who also wants her dead?
Buy Links:
Barnes & Noble
Crimson Romance
iTunes
Excerpt: Chapter One (condensed)
I’ve known death. For
over half a millennia, I escorted many to death at the end of my
sword. In the eyes of the dying, I watched it shroud them. Foolishly,
I thought many more eras would pass before death came for me. It came
so swiftly that I could not run; I could not escape. At a village,
dressed in human clothes, I took in everything.
I delayed my return to my
people as I watched human jugglers bounce torches and knifes. It was
autumn equinox and the festivities would continue well into the
night. Children laughed as they chased each other. A trail of leaves
from their costumes twirled after them. It was dark when I reached
the forest.
I hiked
slower than my normal speed, so as not to startle whatever human
called out. My leather boots crunched upon dried, diseased leaves and
bark. Horrified, I glanced up. Branches twisted around each
other to suffocating. Lifeless limbs cracked in the wind. Flesh of
the trees sloughed off in layers, exposing its bones. Gashes hollowed
out chunks of warmth. Fragments of leaves clung to finger tips,
marking sepulchers of the dying trees. Trees mourned with wails like
splitting wood, and I brought my hands over my ears. I must flee
before I became infected, they told me. Flee before the stain of this
defilement creeps into you, they warned. Trees spoke to my kind,
always had. Yet these trees were in such agony of death that I could
not breathe. Felt as though my lungs had folded in on themselves,
like a moth unable to break loose from its cocoon.
Cooper,
Andrea R. (2013-03-25). The Garnet Dagger (Crimson Romance) (Kindle
Locations 60-67). F+W Media. Kindle Edition.
Reviews
"The Garnet Dagger is an enthralling paranormal romance . . . The author does a masterful job of building her own unique world . . . The Garnet Dagger is an intriguing and thoroughly entertaining paranormal romance that is worth the read." --The Lusty Penguin
"The Garnet Dagger was a well written story. The author Andrea R Cooper did fabulous world-building. The relationship depicted between the two main characters is flawless. And the description was very vivid. Highly recommended for all lovers of Paranormal romance." --Paranormal Romance Reviews
“Highly recommended for all lovers of Paranormal romance.” Nas Dean
“The setting was darkly beautiful and the imagery brought it to life.”Katie Cody
Growing up in Houston, Texas, Andrea has always created characters and stories. But it wasn't until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.
“The setting was darkly beautiful and the imagery brought it to life.”Katie Cody
Growing up in Houston, Texas, Andrea has always created characters and stories. But it wasn't until she was in her late twenties that she started writing novels.
What
happened that ignited the writing flame in her fingers? Divorced, and
disillusioned by love songs and stories. They exaggerate. She
thought. Love and Romance are not like that in the real world. Then
she met her husband and realized, yes love and romance are exactly
like the songs and stories say. She is now a happy wife, and a mom to
three kids (two boys and a girl).
Andrea
writes paranormal and historical romance. When not writing or
reading, one may find Andrea dancing in Zumba.
She
believes in the power of change and counting each moment as a
blessing.
But most importantly, she believes in love.
Happy Valentine's Day. Thank you so much for having me.
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day, Andrea. It was my pleasure. Come back anytime.
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