Wala kang Balentino/Balentina sa Valentine’s Day? Okey lang, tuloy ang daloy ng buhay. Surely marami kang kaibigan or kamag-anak na nagmamahal sa iyo. VD is not just for a couple in romantic liason. VD is a celebration of love of any kind. So, huwag ka ng malungkot. Be happy and show your love to those around you before you are unable to do so.
Ano nga ba ang Valentine’s Day at paano ito nagsimula?
The History of Valentine’s Day
The origin of Valentine’s Day is traced to the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia. Held on February 15, Lupercalia honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus.
In addition to a bountiful feast, Lupercalia festivities are said to have included the pairing of young women and men. Men would draw women’s names from a box, and each couple would be paired until next year’s celebration.
While this pairing of couples set the tone for today’s holiday, it wasn’t called “Valentine’s Day” until a priest named Valentine came along. Valentine, a romantic at heart, disobeyed Emperor Claudius II’s decree that soldiers remain bachelors. Claudius believed that soldiers would be distracted and unable to concentrate on fighting if they were married or engaged. Valentine defied the emperor and secretly performed marriage ceremonies. As a result of his defiance, Valentine was put to death on February 14.
Valentine was canonized and has been named a saint. With Christianity spreading through Rome, the priests moved Lupercalia from February 15 to February 14 and renamed it St. Valentine’s Day to honor Saint Valentine.
And what’s Cupid got to do with Valentine’s Day?
Roman mythology has Cupid as a son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. Cupid was known to cause people to fall in love by shooting them with his magical arrows. But Cupid didn’t just cause others to fall in love – he himself fell deeply in love.
Legend says that Cupid fell in love with a mortal maiden named Psyche. Cupid married Psyche, but Venus, jealous of Psyche’s beauty, forbade her daughter-in-law to look at Cupid. Psyche, of course, couldn’t resist temptation and sneaked a peek at her handsome husband. As punishment, Venus demanded that she perform three hard tasks, the last of which caused Psyche’s death.
Cupid brought Psyche back to life and the gods, moved by their love, granted Pysche immortality. Cupid thus represents the heart and Psyche the (struggles of the) human soul.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
