#Pope Gelasius

[miniwritesworld]

Valentine’s Day: Holiday Of Love, Affection & Selflessness! Fascinating History & Fun Ideas!

Origin & History Of Valentine’s Day! Top Fun Things To Do For Valentine’s Day! Fun Facts of Valentine’s Day That Will Surprise You!

Valentine’s Day! Everyone has a different perspective on this day. Some look at it with lots of “hearts”💕 in their eyes. And some look at it as a marketing technique 💸. Some wait for this day, and some lonely hearts get lonelier. Different people look at this day differently. But what exactly is the reason for the importance of this day? Why does this day exist? Why does even history have some…

[noodlenogginsnogginofnoodles]

my favorite part is that they did that to themselves

everytime i hear allos saying being aroace is sad i think of how there's a whole day made to just suck all of their money up

[noodlenogginsnogginofnoodles]

The first thing I would do with a time machine is beat the shit out of Pope Gelasius the first

[teatoast-n-tarot]

Valentine's Day. celebrated every year on February 14th, is a holiday that is steeped in rich history, mystery, and romantic tradition. However, its origins can be traced back to a #pagan festival called #Lupercalia celebrated in ancient Rome. Lupercalia was a festival of #fertility held in honor of the god #Lupercus the protector of shepherds and their flocks. It was a time of #revelry #feasting and #indulgence where the people of Rome would come together to celebrate the coming of #spring and the renewal of #life As the #festival was celebrated, men would draw the names of women from a box and be paired with them as partners for the duration of the festival. These pairings were believed to bring good #fortune and #blessings of fertility to the couples. However, with the rise of Christianity, the Catholic Church sought to stamp out pagan customs and rituals. In an effort to suppress Lupercalia, #Pope #Gelasius declared February 14th to be St. Valentine's Day, in honor of a Christian martyr who was executed for performing marriages in #secret during a time when they were #banned by the emperor. This celebration of #love and #devotion became #intertwined with the #romantic traditions of Lupercalia, and over time, Valentine's Day evolved into the holiday we know and celebrate today. Similarly, Easter, a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, was influenced by the pagan spring festival of #Eostre which celebrated the #goddess of dawn and new beginnings. In conclusion, while the modern-day world may have moved away from the pagan beliefs and customs of our ancestors, their legacy lives on in the holidays and traditions that we continue to celebrate today. #tarot #theloverstarot #lesamoureux #gliamanti #losenamorados #valentines #cupid (at Liverpool) https://www.instagram.com/p/ConvypPqdLK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[useless-catalanfacts]

The 2nd of February is the Christian festivity called Candlemas (Candelera in Catalan). It's the date that ends the Christmas cycle, where traditionally people would put away the Nativity scene, though nowadays lots of people take it down soon after Three Wise Men Day (6th of January).

What does this day celebrate?

Candlemas is most likely a remnant of the Ancient Roman festival of Parentalia (last day of the Feralia), celebrated annually in February to remember the dead. During Parentalia, they did processions where they dressed in black and carried little blessed candles to the cemeteries to guide the dead people's souls.

Some say that the origins of Candlemas might also be related to another Ancient Roman festival celebrated in February: the Lupercalia, in honour of the god of fertility and shepherds Lupercus.

In the Christian tradition, this festivity celebrates when Mary brought Jesus to the temple. Biblical scholars explain that it was a tradition for Jewish women to bring their child to the temple 40 days after giving birth. Then, the child was presented to the priests and they were blessed in front of candles, and the woman was purified. Since the Christian tradition says Jesus was born on the 25th of December, 40 days after his birth is the 2nd of February. Candlemas is celebrated every year on this day to commemorate Mary introducing Jesus to the temple. The festivity was introduced officially by Pope Gelasius I in the year 496.

How is Candlemas celebrated?

Believers take candles to be blessed, and some places hold processions with lit candles. The candles are taken home to be kept, because they're believed to have protection powers.

Candlemas procession in L'Ametlla de Mar (Terres de l'Ebre, Catalonia), who celebrates their festa major on this day. Photo: IPCITE.

Unlike other festivals of the Christian calendar (like local patron saint days, Christmas, Three Wise Men Day, Saint Anthony/Three Laps, Saint George, Midsummer/Saint John, Corpus, etc) which are celebrated by everyone in our country, Christian and non-Christian alike; Candlemas is not so widely celebrated by people who aren't Christian believers. But even then, there is one thing that everyone knows Candlemas for: predicting the weather.

In Catalan we have the saying: "Si la Candelera plora, l'hivern és fora. Si la Candelera riu, el fred és viu." which means "If Candlemas cries, the winter is out. If Candlemas laughs, the cold is alive". This sums it up, if it rains on February 2nd it's believed to be a sign that winter is ending. If it's sunny, winter will still go on.

Candlemas is also the day that people in the USA and Canada hold "Groundhog Day", where a groundhog (a rodent animal) is said to predict the same.

Some mountain parts of Europe also remember this date as the day where bears wake up from their hibernation, and many of these places have some festivity about it. In Northern Catalonia, we have the Bear Festivity (Festa de l'Os). In this ancient festivity, which is still done nowadays, some people from the town dress up as bears, while others get all dirty and accompany him running through the town, shouting, whistling and playing music. Others dress up as hunters and run after them. It represents nature waking up from the winter rest, but also the danger that comes with it.

Festa de l'Os in Prats de Molló (Northern Catalonia). Vilaweb and Fabricio Cardenas.

Festa de l'Os in Sant Llorenç de Cerdans (Northern Catalonia). Photographer: Marc Velasco.

The festivity ends when the hunters bring the bear to the town centre and take off his bear skin, turning him into a human. This represents the victory of humans over nature, but scholars also point that it could come from an ancient myth from the Pyrenees according to which humans evolved from bears (for reference, we don't have apes nor monkeys in this part of the world).

[poor-boy-orpheus]

Been reading about popes, as one does. Here's a few things I've learned:

My boy St. Anterus was only pope for 43 days before he kicked it.

The last pope to be born in Africa (St. Gelasius I) was pope way back in 492 CE.

The practice of popes not using their real names when they become pontiff originated from one pope (St. John II) who didn't want to use his birth name (Mercurius) because of its association with a "false" god. The practice wouldn't become mainstream though until Pope Gregory V in 985.

Stephen/Stephanus/Stephen II was named pope and 3 days later he died. It was so short that he didn't even officially take office and most lists don't count him.

Formosus was on trial 7 months after he died. He was being tried for perjury and allegedly ascending to the papacy illegitimately by a later pope, Stephen VI. Formosus was found guilty and sentenced to execution (despite already being dead) and they annulled all of his acts as pope. They buried him in a cheap grave, then dug his body up and threw it in a river where it later washed up on shore. This pissed off everyone else so much that they later had to rebury him with Christian rites and Stephen then got sentenced to prison where he got strangled. The whole thing was so embarrassing that later, Pope Theodore II convened another synod that annulled the synod that annulled Formosus's papacy. Even later than that, Pope John IX held two different synods, both agreeing with Theodore and annulling Stephen's trial -then went further and prohibited all future trials of corpses. AND THEN Pope Sergius III held ANOTHER Synod and overturned the rulings of both Theodore and John, reaffirmed Formosus's conviction, and had a new epitaph inscribed on the tomb of Stephen praising him for his work.

All the stuff above was so embarrassing and so many new popes kept getting elected that nobody respected the papacy for almost a century. The popes became super corrupt and got rules by a small group of aristocrats paying them off. This era becomes known as the "Pornocracy" and "Rule of the Harlots" which just sounds sick as hell (but was actually very bad for everyone).

The first pope to canonize a saint didn't take office until 985 CE (this was Pope John XV and he canonized Bishop Ulrich of Augsburg in 993).

Adrian IV is the only pope to have been English (Anglo-Saxon specifically).

[janusfranc15]

Happy Cappadocian Greek/Palestinian (could be both) Soldier-Saint Immigrant Day!

Or rather Happy Saint George Day! Slayer of Dragons/Crocodiles (shh don’t listen to Pope Gelasius the Dragon/crocodile is Real), Person Who Suffered a Lot (like most early Saints, Thanks Diocletian!) And potentially a Palestinian born in Lydda! According to the Palestinian Heritage Trail. (He may have also been born in Cappadocia in Turkey. And Martyred in Lydda. There are at least 2 different accounts, here.)

Regardless he is very much venerated there by local Christians and Muslims, as well as Druze.)

He is also combined with Al-Khidr in Islam as well, and al Khidr appears to have been combined with Elijah as well, interestingly enough.

Nice book on him i recently got- this is the ‘cheap’ version. Also made in 1909. This was the source for me learning about him having a significant presence in Palestine; though the fact that there’s an entire country named after him (Georgia. No. Not the American one) is also impressive.

The Author of the book also complains that people kept on conflating this George with another one who was a Bishop of Alexandria, and also Sucked.

Further reasons why George is multicultural and therefore Cool-

[clicktuck-suskriberz]

The Undead Through The Ages

Provided via the Official Guide To Protecting Your Brains ( @tychos-huzband I feel like you especially should see this) (yes its below the cut because its a wall of text) (Crazy Dave's text has been provided the most authentic experience I can muster for anyone reading this)

(Note: the comments about time travel are together on page 50)

Sadly, Zombies are not a new menace. They have been active throughout history. For educational purposes, your Government has provided this handy timeline highlighting important events in zombie-related history. Please study it carefully!

Dawn Of Time [???]

Humans with brains exist.

30 Minutes After Dawn Of Time [???]

Zombies with an appetite for human brains exist

431 BC [???]

The catapult is invented by Greek engineers. Zombies steal it and use it to launch themselves over high walls to get to the Greek engineers' brains behind them.

180 BC [Zombosseum]

Deadus Zombius becomes leader of the Roman Empire, after winning a decisive victory by eating the brains of his rivals. This technique is repeated by politicians throughout the ages, though they won't ever admit it

12 AD [Ancient Egypt]

A zombie chips his tooth after trying to bite the head off a statue of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Another zombie trips over a mummy's bandages, making this the clumsiest period in zombie history

213 [???]

Famous Greek mathematician Brainius celebrates his 18th birthday. Zombies gatecrash the party and enjoy a special birthday feast at his expense.

492 [???]

Pope Gelasius is chased around a cathedral by zombies who want to eat his brains. He only escapes by hiding in a cupboard for a week and waiting until the zombies get bored and leave.

What's wrong with living in a cupboard?

553 [???]

The first recorded instance of someone asking, "Why did the zombie cross the road?" After crossing the road, the zombie then eats their brains - thus ensuring no one tries to turn this into a joke until at least 1968.

701 [???]

The first known song is preformed by a zombie, after the zombie stubs his toe on a rock. The song - called "Braaaaaaaaiiins OUCH! Braaaaaaaaiiins" - spends the next sixteen weeks on the charts.

843 [???]

A zombie is accidentally crowned king of Germany when he tries the crown on in a moment of boredom. The subsequent feast is cut short when the new king eats everyone's brains.

921 [scrapped Viking world]

The Vikings invade England, only to retreat back home a day later (minus their brains). The remaining Vikings (with brains) decide it's a really good idea to wear big metal helmets at all times in the future.

I guess they hadn't invented saucepans yet?

1066 [???]

William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invades England. Within ten minutes of landing on the beach at Hastings, his brains are eaten by zombies. In the traditional British seaside style, they enjoy it with chips and lots of salt and vinegar.

1278 [???]

The first recorded instance of a zombie riding a horse. Minutes after learning to ride, the zombie bangs his head on a tree branch and falls off, thus continuing the rich tradition of Zombie clumsiness.

1687 [Pirate Seas]

Zombies decide that saying "urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" is almost the same as saying "arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr", so they decide to become pirates. That, and the fast that they really like the hats. Plus some of them are already missing limbs, so the whole wooden leg thing is really convenient.

This bit is definitely true. I saw Pirate Zombies when I went back in time. Have I mentioned I can do that?

1688 [also Pirate Seas]

Zombies discover they get really, really seasick, so they decide to stop being pirates and stick to dry land.

Oh yeah, I mentioned it on page 122. This proves I can time travel, because it's on a page in the future!

1835 [Wild West]

A shoot-out between two cowboy zombies lasts over three weels because they are dead and getting shot doesn't make one bit of difference. The shoot-out only ends when the townspeople complain about all the noise and demand an end so they can get a good night's sleep

1921 [???]

Tension between humans and the undead briefly ceases after zombies get jobs in a toy factory testing whoopie cushions.

2014 [Modern Day]

Some crackpots are saying that zombies are going to take over the world any day now, but your Government would like to assure you that this is not going to happen.

Take a look out the window Mister Governments! And then come and buy some stuff from me.

[creatorbiaze]

Got bored, looked up Valentine's Day origins

thesere all from just a basic google search but

"It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine and through later folk traditions, it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world."

"Turns out, it was a pretty common name during Late Antiquity. As far as anyone can tell, the Saint Valentine of Valentine's Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day."

"Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the third century. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day."

"Valentine's Day is said to have been celebrated in AD 496 by Pope Gelasius I in honor of the Christian martyr, Saint Valentine of Rome, who died in AD 269 on that date. Saint Valentine was a famous 3rd Century Roman Saint who was Commemorated in Christianity on February 14."

so basically a guy or two got killed

I'll look more into the actual history & celebration later but that's a start

[miniaturemoonheart]

Lupercalia was an ancient Roman festival celebrated annually on February 15th. It was a fertility festival dedicated to Lupercus, the god of shepherds, and Faunus, the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Pan. The festival was believed to purify the city and promote health and fertility. Lupercalia rituals were performed by a group of priests known as the Luperci, who would gather at the sacred cave of Lupercal on the Palatine Hill. They would sacrifice goats and dogs, whose hides were then used to make whips or lashes called "februa."

One of the most well-known customs of Lupercalia involved the Luperci running through the streets of Rome, striking people with their februa. It was believed that being touched by the februa would bring fertility and ward off evil spirits. The festival also included matchmaking and fertility rites, with young men drawing the names of young women in a lottery to be their partners for the duration of the festival or even longer. While Lupercalia was celebrated for centuries, it eventually fell out of favor with the rise of Christianity, and in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with the Christian feast of St. Valentine's Day, which is celebrated on February 14th.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

1. The St. Valentine who inspired the holiday may have been two different men.

Officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, St. Valentine is known to be a real person who died around A.D. 270.

However, his true identity was questioned as early as A.D. 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who referred to the martyr and his acts as “being known only to God.”

One account from the 1400s described Valentine as a temple priest who was beheaded near Rome by the emperor Claudius II for helping Christian couples wed.

A different account claims Valentine was the Bishop of Terni, also martyred by Claudius II on the outskirts of Rome.

Because of the similarities of these accounts, it’s thought they may refer to the same person.

Enough confusion surrounds the true identity of St. Valentine that the Catholic Church discontinued liturgical veneration of him in 1969, though his name remains on its list of officially recognized saints.

2. In all, there are about a dozen St. Valentines, plus a pope.

The saint we celebrate on Valentine’s Day is known officially as St. Valentine of Rome in order to differentiate him from the dozen or so other Valentines on the list.

Because “Valentinus”—from the Latin word for worthy, strong or powerful—was a popular moniker between the second and eighth centuries A.D., several martyrs over the centuries have carried this name.

The official Roman Catholic roster of saints shows about a dozen who were named Valentine or some variation thereof.

The most recently beatified Valentine is St. Valentine Berrio-Ochoa, a Spaniard of the Dominican order who traveled to Vietnam, where he served as bishop until his beheading in 1861.

Pope John Paul II canonized Berrio-Ochoa in 1988.

There was even a Pope Valentine, though little is known about him except that he served a mere 40 days around A.D. 827.

3. Valentine is the patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy, among many other things.

Saints are certainly expected to keep busy in the afterlife. Their holy duties include interceding in earthly affairs and entertaining petitions from living souls.

In this respect, St. Valentine has wide-ranging spiritual responsibilities.

People call on him to watch over the lives of lovers, of course, but also for interventions regarding beekeeping and epilepsy, as well as the plague, fainting and traveling.

As you might expect, he’s also the patron saint of engaged couples and happy marriages.

4. You can find Valentine’s skull in Rome.

The flower-adorned skull of St. Valentine is on display in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome.

In the early 1800s, the excavation of a catacomb near Rome yielded skeletal remains and other relics now associated with St. Valentine.

As is customary, these bits and pieces of the late saint’s body have subsequently been distributed to reliquaries around the world.

You’ll find other bits of St. Valentine’s skeleton on display in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, England, and France.

5. English poet Geoffrey Chaucer may have invented Valentine’s Day.

The medieval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer often took liberties with history, placing his poetic characters into fictitious historical contexts that he represented as real.

No record exists of romantic celebrations on Valentine’s Day prior to a poem Chaucer wrote around 1375.

In his work “Parliament of Foules,” he links a tradition of courtly love with the celebration of St. Valentine’s feast day – an association that didn’t exist until after his poem received widespread attention.

The poem refers to February 14 as the day birds (and humans) come together to find a mate.

When Chaucer wrote, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate,” he may have invented the holiday we know today.

6. You can celebrate Valentine’s Day several times a year.

Because of the abundance of St. Valentines on the Roman Catholic roster, you can choose to celebrate the saint multiple times each year.

Besides February 14, you might decide to celebrate St. Valentine of Viterbo on November 3.

You may want to get a jump on the traditional Valentine celebration by feting St. Valentine of Raetia on January 7.

Women might choose to honor the only female St. Valentine (Valentina), a virgin martyred in Palestine on 25 July A.D. 308.

The Eastern Orthodox Church officially celebrates St. Valentine twice, once as an elder of the church on July 6 and once as a martyr on July 30.

[anastpaul]

Quote/s of the Day – 21 November – St Pope Gelasius I

Quote/s of the Day – 21 November – The Memorial of St Pope Gelasius I (Died 496) Bishop of Rome from 1 March 492 until his death on 19 November 496. “There are two powers, by which chiefly,this world is ruled – the Sacred authorityof the Priesthood and the authority of Kings.And of these, the authority of the Priests is,so much the weightier, as they must render,before the tribunal of God, an…

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"FROM YOU YOUR VALENTINE"-from the love note signed by Saint Valentine  before he was  beheaded (AD 270 ).

“I did a bit of reading various historical accounts a while back on the namesake of Valentines Day--St. Valentine-- an anti-war outlaw of sorts who was incarcerated and executed --and found a story of love, beheading, war, a miracle, and the blind daughter of the jailer. Here's what I found”:

We may owe our observance of Valentine's Day to the Roman celebration of Lupercalia, a festival of fertility and eroticism that honored Juno Februata, the goddess of "feverish" (febris) love. On February 15, one part of the celebration was love notes or "billets" that would be drawn to partner men and women (also same sex relations were accepted and common in ancient Rome) for feasting and frolicking.

In an effort to do away with the pagan festival, Pope Gelasius ordered a slight change in the lottery. The box would contain the names of saints. Both men and women were allowed to draw from the box, and the game was to emulate the ways of the saint they drew during the rest of the year. Needless to say, many of the young Romans were not too pleased with the rule changes.Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Valentine, who, in AD 270 had been beheaded by Emperor Claudius.

Claudius determined that single soldiers made better soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Valentine would secretly marry young couples that came to him; how he later became known as the patron saint of lovers. When Claudius found out about Valentine, he first tried to convert him to paganism. Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. He failed and was imprisoned.

During the days that Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailer. His love for her, and his great faith, managed to miraculously heal her from her blindness before his death. 

Before he was taken to be beheaded, he signed a farewell message to her, "From your Valentine."

Perhaps it's time to wrest Valentines Day celebration of love away from business marketing around with 26 billion annual Valentines spending. Valentine’s Day can be a pressure-packed, overspending and overconsuming week. But we can also find wonderful ways to celebrate those we love-friends, family, lovers and attractions--that also include fun ways to spend time together-walks, picnics, events and maybe some DIY cards and more. Let's recall the roots of Valentine's Day--both it's Pagan roots and also Saint Valentine--and emulate his defiance of empires, rulers and their wars...for love.

 Happy Valentines Day-

David Solnit

[from Rebecca Solnit]

[rabbitcruiser]

Valentine’s Day 

Love and romance. Candy and flowers. Cards and gifts. Dinner and dancing.

Valentine’s Day comes along with a whole host of plans and accoutrements that are meant to all boil down to one thing: Love. And it all comes in the name of one man, St. Valentine, who was an interesting (and perhaps slightly misunderstood) character in history.

It’s time to learn about and celebrate Valentine’s Day!

History of Valentine’s Day

While some people believe that the history of this day is pretty clear, the reality is that the story behind St. Valentine’s Day is covered in a great deal of mystery. Tradition hails February 14 (and perhaps even the whole month of February!) as a time for love and romance, with both ancient Roman and Christian backgrounds.

But when the life of St. Valentine, the patron saint of this day, is considered, that’s when things tend to get a bit more murky. Some people don’t realize that the Catholic church actually has record of three of its own saints who went by the name of Valentine (or Valentinus) and all three died as martyrs.

Valentine’s Day Timeline

270 AD St. Valentine is martyred

Defying anti-marriage instructions given by Emperor Claudius II in order to build up the army, Valentine secretly supports and marries young couples which eventually leads to him being put to death. His death is said to have taken place on February 14.

496 AD First Valentine’s Day is recognized

Pope Gelasius decides to get rid of the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love, and chooses to replace it with a celebration in honor of St. Valentine, who was martyred a couple hundred years prior.

1382 Chaucer’s Poem, Parlement of Foules, is written

This poem contains the first known literature reference connecting romantic love with Valentine’s Day. In the text of the poem, Chaucer writes of birds who would pair off with a mate, but some people refute the idea that it is connected to Valentine’s Day because February is too early and cold for birds to be mating.

1700 Americans begin exchanging Valentines

During this century, the inspiration for romance and love on Valentine’s Day turns into the specific gesture of exchanging notes, poems and love letters which may have been delivered by hand or by the US Postal Service.

2010 Valentine’s Day is released in theaters

This romantic comedy has a star-studded cast with big names like Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and even Kathy Bates, and tells the story of several different romances between couples that happen all in one day. However, at the box office, the film doesn’t really get the greatest reviews from critics.

Valentine Promotes Marriage

Perhaps the most commonly held tradition around St. Valentine is related to the year 270 AD when Claudius II was the emperor of Rome. Known as “Claudius the Cruel”, the emperor who wanted to build a strong army but was having trouble because of the attachment the men had to their wives and families. His solution? Just ban engagement and marriage, of course!

The story goes that Valentine, a priest in Rome, disagreed with the decree from Claudius and decided to go ahead and perform marriages anyway, allowing young lovers to marry each other in secret. When discovered, Claudius ordered the public beating and beheading of Valentine, which took place on February 14. The church later honored him by naming him as a saint.

This same Valentine is rumored to have become friends with the daughter of his jailer. He is said to have left her a note signed, “From Your Valentine”. This may explain the idea of asking someone “Will You Be My Valentine?”.

Less common are the other two saints also called Valentine, one who was a bishop in what is now Terni, Italy, and another who was martyred in a Roman province of Africa.

Feast of Lupercalia

It’s possible that even before Valentine, the priest, was martyred on February 14, the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan feast of love, was celebrated around the same time. One tradition that went along with this festival is that the names of women were put into a box and drawn out by the men that they would be matched up with, letting chance (or fate!) take the lead.

By 496 AD, Pope Gelasius was tired of such pagan celebrations, so he declared that the Feast of Lupercalia would be canceled and, instead, St. Valentine’s Day would be celebrated on February 14. As time passed, this day became one where lovers would exchange poems, cards, notes and flowers, singing songs and performing other romantic gestures.

How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Celebrating Valentine’s Day comes with all sorts of inherited romantic traditions which can certainly be fun and bring lots of joy! But this is also a great way to get creative with showing people how much they are loved–even if it isn’t a romantic relationship.

Try out some of these ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day:

Make a Card or Gift for Someone

Whether it’s a romantic partner or just a friend, Valentine’s Day is a great day to say “I Love You”. Hand made cards and gifts are especially welcome when it comes to showing someone how much they are cared for. January is a dark and quiet month anyway, so there’s plenty of time to prepare homemade gifts from a hobby like knitting a scarf, braiding a friendship bracelet, embroidering a towel, painting a picture or simply making a card.

Send Roses for Valentine’s Day

With delivery services abounding in almost every town, getting flowers delivered has never been easier! Choose to send red roses that stand for passion; yellow for friendship; pink for sweetness; peach for sincerity or gratefulness; white for purity or loyalty; ivory for perfection; and lavender for a crush (or love at first sight!).

Make Dinner Reservations

It’s likely that a last minute idea for going out to dinner will result in ordering takeout to eat at home, because restaurants are basically always full on Valentine’s Day. But, think ahead (sometimes months ahead, depending on the popularity of the restaurant) and make a reservation for two at a romantic place.

Enjoy a Story About Love

Head over to a local bookstore or library and browse the selection of novels or biographies that might feature stories about love. Or, it might even be interesting to read a biography about the guys named Valentine!

Those who don’t have as much time to read could put on their favorite drama or rom-com movie and see what hijinx the main characters get into. Try out some of these films about love to get started:

Valentine’s Day (2010). Okay, maybe this one is obvious. And perhaps it’s not even a great film, but it would be remiss to leave out this one with an all-star cast including Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher.

The Notebook (2004). This quintessential romance by Nicholas Sparks can be read as a novel or watched in the film starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.

Pride and Prejudice (2005). This delightful take on the Jane Austen’s novel of the same name stars Keira Knightly, Rosamund Pike and Matthew Macfayden.

Think Like a Man (2012). Based on Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, this rom-com features Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart and Meagan Good.

Get Creative for Valentine’s Day

This day doesn’t have to be the same as it’s always been. In fact, it’s a great day to try something new. Go on a mountain hike, visit a museum together, go whitewater rafting or learn how to play chess. Whatever would be fun and can be done in the spirit of love is the perfect activity for this day!

Valentine’s Day FAQs

When is Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day takes place every year on February 14. It started on this day in AD 496 when the pope established the holiday in Rome in honor of the martyred Saint Valentine, who was killed on February 14.

What to do on Valentine’s Day?

This day can be filled with opportunities to show people how much they are loved. Exchange cards, send someone flowers, make breakfast for family members or write a poem.

When was the first Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is not actually a modern holiday, but has been celebrated in the middle of the month of February for more than 1500 years. The first Valentine’s Day was established by Pope Gelasius.

Is Valentine’s Day a global holiday?

Yes! Valentine’s Day is celebrated in various capacities in countries all over the world. From sharing a bottle of wine to giving gifts, from school children in America exchanging Valentines cards to people in Wales exchanging carved wooden spoons, this day is one that shows how people simply love the idea of love.

Who was Saint Valentine?

There is a bit of overlap in the stories as it seems there were at least three martyred saints with the name Valentine. However, the one most notably celebrated was a priest in Rome who defied the emperor’s anti-love commands and married young couples anyway.

Source

[kafirchristian]

pagan festival of Lupercalia

When did Valentine's Day begin to be celebrated around the world?

The origins of Valentine's Day are debated, as some believe it was chosen to commemorate the death of Saint Valentine in the middle of February, while others argue it was placed in mid-February by the Christian church to replace the pagan festival of Lupercalia.

Lupercalia was celebrated on 15 February and was a fertility festival involving the sacrifice of a goat and a dog, whose hides were used to gently slap women and crops in the belief it would increase fertility.

Later, bachelors would choose a woman's name from an urn, and the couples would be paired for the year, often leading to marriage.

Lupercalia was a festival held in Rome on February 15. Lupercalia was a bloody, violent & sexually charged celebration awash with animal sacrifice, random matchmaking and coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility. 

Some theories suggests that the celebration of Lupercalia was brought to a halt by Pope Gelasius during his reign in the latter part of the fifth century. Following this, the Catholic Church designated 14 February as a day of feasting, otherwise known as 'The Feast of Saint Valentine'.

Jack B. Oruch, a professor at the University of Kansas believes that it was an English poet Geoffrey Chaucer who was the first person to link Valentine’s Day with romance in his poem 'The Parlement of Foules'.

In the poem he writes: "For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate."

But this could also suggests that Valentine's Day was already associated with the idea of choosing a mate or a partner, and Chaucer was simply building on this tradition in his poem.

Evidently, the origins of Valentine's Day remain extremely muddled and confusing.

[silvestromedia]

SAINTS NOVEMBER 20

St. Edmund the Martyr, 869 A.D. Martyred king of the East Angles. He was elected king in 855 at the age of fourteen and began ruling Suffolk, England, the following year. In 869 or 870, the Danes invaded Edmund’s realm, and he was captured at Hone, in Suffolk. After extreme torture, Edmund was beheaded and died calling upon Jesus. His shrine brought about the town of Bury St. Edmund's. He is depicted as crowned and robed as a monarch, holding a scepter, orb, arrows, or a quiver.

St. Francis Xavier Can, Roman Catholic and Vietnamese Martyr. A native, born in Sou-Ming, he worked as a catechist with the priests of the Foreign Missions of Paris. Arrested and refusing to deny the faith, Francis Xavier was strangled in prison. Nov 20

St. Maxentia of Beauvais. Irish or Scottish virgin and martyr. She fled to France to escape marriage to a pagan chieftain and lived as a hermitess on the banks of the Qise River near Senlis. The chieftain she had spurned hunted her down and beheaded her at Pont-Sainte-Maxence when she refused to return with him to Ireland.

St. Eval, 6th century. Bishop of Cornwall, England, also called Uval or Urfol. A village in that county bears his name.

St. Edmund Rich, 1242 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury England, who baffled for discipline and justice, also called Edmund of Abingdon. Born in Abingdon, on November 30, 1180. he studied at Oxford, England, and in Paris, France. He taught art and mathematics at Oxford and was ordained. lie spent eight years teaching theology and became Canon and treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral. An eloquent speaker, Edmund preached a crusade for Pope Gregory IX and was named archbishop of Canterbury. He became an advisor to King Henry Ill and presided in 1237 at Henry’s ratification of the Great Charter. When Cardinal Olt became a papal legate with the patronage of King Henry, Edmund protested. A long-lasting feud between Edmund, the king, and his legate led him to resigning his see in 1240. He went to Pontigny, France, where he became a Cistercian. He died at Soissons, on November 16. Edmund was canonized in 1246 or 1247. A hall in Oxford bears his name.

St. Autbodus, 690 A.D. Irish missionary and hermit. Autbodus preached in Hainault, Belgium, and Artois and Picardy, France. He retired to a hermitage near Laon where he died.

Bl. Josaphata Michaelina Hordashevska, Roman Catholic Ukrainian Nun. First member of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, She died of bone cancer

St Gelasius I became Pope in 496, and during his four-year reign fought against paganism and heresy, writing treatises against Manicheanism, Monophysitism, and Pelagianism, among others. Some of his principles in ecclesiastical matters were taken up by the Second Vatican Council. Nov 20

St. Felix of Valois, Hermit and co-founder of the Trinitarians with St. John of Matha. He lived as a recluse at Cerfroid, France, and in 1198 received approval from the Holy See for the Order of the Most Holy Trinity to ransoms captives from the Moors. Felix founded St. Mathburn Convent in Paris while in his seventies. He died in Cerfroid on November 4.Feastday: Nov. 20