History of Cupid & Valentine's Day

We all know that Cupid is connected to love and to making people fall in love. Well this all dates back to his line of heritage or ancestry. In Roman Mythology Cupid is the son of Mars and Venus.

He is very closely connected to his mother Venus who is the ultimate Goddess of love. Cupid inherited his mother's powerful ties to the emotion of love, and is believed to be even more powerful than she because he also inherited the right to power over Hades, all the creatures of the sea, and the Gods of Olympus. Are you beginning to understand why Cupid is so interested in love and to insuring that people fall in love?

Now although the tradition of Valentine's Day is itself really very smudgy, if we look a little further into Roman history, we can examine Saint Valentine and his relationship to the creation of love. There are mentions of three distinct Saint Valentines that are associated with the date of February fourteenth. One was a Roman Priest, one was the Bishop of Interamna, or Terni as it is now termed, and the last suffered his end in Africa. All three of these saints died as martyrs, each of these saints perished with much suffering, and each of these saints died for the sake of kindness and love.

Now this is where the history of the true Saint of Valentine's Day gets a little fuzzier. What is known is that there was indeed a Saint Valentine, and that he was buried in Rome, February fourteenth 269 AD. From that point onward there are a number of legends attached to this Saint, and as to why he was sainted, but no one clear answer as to which legend is the true basis for the current February 14th day of love.

One legend is that this saint was a roman priest who aided Christians by helping them to escape their Roman captors. He was arrested and jailed when he was found to be marrying Christians. His captors then attempted to stone, and to beat him to death, but he managed to survive these attacks. He was eventually beheaded for his crimes of kindness.

Another belief is that while under the reign of the Emperor Claudius the II, Rome found itself involved in a number of armed conflicts, and required large numbers of soldiers to fight in these battles. Claudius felt that the reason why he could not acquire sufficient soldiers for his many battles was because married men did not want to leave their wives and children to go off to fight. So he forbade young men to marry. When a local priest named Valentine was caught continuing to perform these outlawed marriages, he was jailed, and Claudius ordered his death. That is how this martyr is believed to have perished.

One accounting reports that Valentine felt fondly toward his jailors daughter who visited him frequently in his cell. The story goes that just before his death he sent her a card signed "from your Valentine". Which is how the first valentine came into being.

How ever it is that Valentine died, it was indeed for the sake of love, and he was sainted for his efforts.

In 496 AD Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as a celebration date to honor Saint Valentine. There is some small degree of irony with this date being declared Saint Valentine's day of representation, because a martyr who died for the sake of love, was now being used to displace another very distinct celebration of love.

In Rome at that time period, February fourteenth was actually already a day of celebration, and it immediately preceded the "fertility festival" or the celebration of the gods Lupercus and Faunas. It was a custom that after the Feast of Lupercalia was complete, young men could choose a ladies name from a jar, and that lady would then become his sexual concubine for one year (or until the festival was celebrated the next year around). It was because the Pope did not approve of this ritual that he decided to have the girls names replaced with a Saints name. The Saint that was chosen for the dubious honor of replacing these young men's sexual gratifications with more honorable intentions was none other than Saint Valentine.

So it is that Cupid and Saint Valentine had their roots intertwined way back in the early days of Rome's history books. It is also how both are believed to have become eternal representations and guardians of love on this date.

To further cement that these two beings, and February fourteenth will be forever connected to love, is a European belief for the fourteenth of February. Since way back in the middle ages people from France and England have strongly believed that the fourteenth of February is the beginning of mating season for birds, and as such, a day for love to take flight. Fly Little Cupid Fly! The date was sealed!

So it was that this spring date in February became a traditional day for giving out cards and other tokens of love.

Just in case you were starting to feel all romantic, mushy, gushy and all that other lovey kind of Valentine day's stuff here is a little sobering thought to ponder. A little known fact about Cupid is that he not only carries gold headed arrows to make people fall in love, but he also carries a set of lead headed arrows and these latter arrows can inspire the emotion of hatred in those who are struck by their magical tips.

So keep one eye on the watch for Cupid around this time of year, and hope that if you do happen to encounter the little guy, that he is flying around in a good mood rather than a foul one.

You've decided that it is time to ask for her hand in marriage, she is definitely the right one for you, and you want to make sure that you make this proposal something that you can both remember for the rest of your life. You want it to be romantic.

Of course, for the ultimate romantic proposal you have to set the mood for it. Surprise is always a good element to add in to the mix, but the selection of the ideal romantic location or backdrop for a proposal, is what really sets the mood....Romantic places to propose marriage.

What happens when you aren't quite ready to marry, but the other person is, and you suddenly find yourself being asked a question that you just did not want to hear? How do you respond, how do you say no, exactly what is there to say if you don't want to accept a marriage proposal?

If you are receiving a proposal of marriage from someone then it is most likely because you have been enjoying a relationship that is enjoyable enough for the other person to want to take it up a step further....What To Say If You Don't Want To Accept A Marriage Proposal.

Flirting just isn't a skill that most of us were born with, or one that we were generally taught as we aged, so learning to flirt can take a little practice to get right. It is also not an exact science, so it may take a little time to learn how to flirt effectively, and to learn to identify the signs when someone is flirting back at you.

Like most other things in life we just have to keep trying, practice makes perfect, and with a little trial and error you will get your method of flirting figured out. As you receive a few positive signs back, you will become more confident and comfortable with your technique....Flirtation signals that encourage the opposite sex.

It used to be not only acceptable, but in fact an encouraged arrangement, for a younger woman to marry an older man. There were a number of reasons why this type of relationship was considered morally reasonable.

Well my apologies to all you older gentlemen out there, but it is time to be debunking a few of the myths of the past concerning older men, and younger women....Older man younger woman: Debunking the myths of the past.

When you participate in pleasurable activities like smiling, laughing, exercising or playing, your brain does an amazing thing and releases a little chemical message known as an endorphin.

These endorphins are feel good messages that have the power to actually remove physical and emotional pain. They travel down the spine, and then throughout your body, sending a feeling of well being as they go. These endorphins not only have the ability to relieve pain but they also have the power to make you feel happy.

www.stvalentinesday.org/history-of-st-valentines-day
www.newadvent.org/cathen
Wikipedia.org/Cupid
www.history.com/valentine/history-of-valentine-s-day
www.catholic.org/saints

Images displayed on this article are from my family's personal photo album. Other images for this article were found at: Karen's Whimsy: Public Domain Images

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