Topic: Holidays
There's other holidays this month, but we'll discuss them another time (probably tomorrow). Let's just hit the one everyone knows about this month, and get it out of the way, shall we?
According to this article available on The History Channel's web site, Valentine's Day is properly known as St. Valentine's Day. There's also about 3 different saints named Valentine or Valentinus that are recognized as such by The Church (ominous music here), all of whom were martyred. (The lesson: people named Valentine are holy, righteous, and piss off people in power that eventually kill them.) The story I heard while in school was that Valentine sent a message to the woman he loved from his prison cell. It was delivered by a bird, and was written on a leaf that was shaped like the classic representation of a heart. You know... the one that, if you draw it in grade school, won't get you detention. Supposedly the reason the 'heart' graphical euphemism we use today is based on that leaf.
He signed it 'Your Valentine.' So when we tell someone we want them to be our Valentine, we're saying "I want you to be my love from afar, locked away in a cell until you die, in martyrdom, and become posthumously sainted. Because I love you."
There seems to be a basic incongruity in that statement which, frankly, disturbs me. But it also amuses me.
The really sick part of this farce is that we have kids in schools giving valentines with Batman and Barbie on them to every kid in their classroom.
Look, if you want to tell someone you love them, you don't need to wait until St. Valentine's day to do it. And you probably, based on the history of the day, shouldn't call them your valentine, or the card you give them a valentine, either. Just call it a greeting card, or something.
Or just say it with flowers.
St. Valentine's History
The History Channel
Flowers
Posted by roguespidor
at 7:24 AM EST
