Happy Gamelion / Lupercalia / Valentine's Day
This psuedo-holiday has me a bit baffled. Most women expect something today as a token of love. This is the perceived meaning of Valentine's Day. Men on the other hand think of today as well, they day they forgot, and they need to run to CVS or Target and get something fast. But what do we really know about Saint Valentine and Valentine's Day? Valentine's Day (February 14) was created as a Roman Catholic feast for Valentine. The day was observed by the Roman Catholic church until 1969. Valentine was a martyr for the Romans. Just to make sure everyone is on the same page, we made a martyr's holiday into a holiday for love and gifts. Um...OK. As many of you are aware, Roman Catholics took holidays and converted them for their own. This is but another example. On the ancient Athens calendar, the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera. In Ancient Rome, February 15 was Lupercalia. Lupercalia, o