The Berkshires Celebrates The Origin Of St. Valentine’s Day

Today is St. Valentine’s Day as this momentus occasion is spent to show the romantic side towards your special someone. In my opinion, you don’t need to wait until February 14th to show how special someone is to you in life. That should be a daily ritual without any assistance from cupid, although he has that unique magic in adding some spice to this so-called “day of love” as you need to be on the lookout if he’s flying around in your neck of the woods. rumor has it, sightings have already been reported right here in the beautiful Berkshires and all across our tri-state region.

It’s also a day where you can express your thoughts and best wishes to people who are extra special in your heart as they truly are an important part of your daily life. So go ahead and send out that greeting card in the process. Plus try to establish a one-on-one telephone connection which is preferable than an electronic or text message. Now for a crash course on how this romantic day came into the global picture:

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Christian religions as a day of martyrdom as Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni sacrificed their lives as their religious beliefs and charitable actions led to their immortal canonizations in The Roman Catholic Church. The origin of red hearts was due to his installation of hand made creations etched in parchment that was given to soldiers and those Christians who were persecuted due to their faith in God.

At first, this was a three day celebration that began on February 13th and was best known as Lupercalia. It wasn’t until the 14th century, the moniker was changed to honor St. Valentine with February 14th as the designated date. The works of Geoffrey Chaucer reflect this revision as he wrote “The Parliament Of Fowls” which was a salute to England’s King Richard The 2nd which commemorated his engagement to Anne of Bohemia.

The celebration of love also dates back to 1400 when Charles The Sixth of France issued a Charter Of The Court of Love where members of the Royal Court attended feasts, poetry and song competitions, dancing an jousting.

Fast forward to the 19th century where the first Valentine’s oriented paper lace products first went on sale back in 1847 in neighboring Worcester, Massachusetts as Esther Howland showcased this merchandise at her father’s stationery store. About two decades later, Cadbury debuted the first heart shaped box of candy which continues to remain a favorite for many givers and receivers around this time of the year as the average person spends over $130 on Valentine’s Day merchandise each and every year. Flowers are also popular during the month of February, especially red roses which are always in high demand this time of the year.

Now you know the historical aspect of how February 14th came into the global picture. All you need is that special someone to take you out for a night on the town and it’s smooth sailing afterwards. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!

(Some background obtained for this article, courtesy of Wikipedia)