Here's a quick history lesson about the real Valentines day that seemed to get covered up by a lot of Madison Ave BS. I guess this could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who's name you drew in the lottery. I wonder if they had the three ugly ones?
February 14 is Valentine's Day. Although it is celebrated as a lovers' holiday today, with the giving of candy, Valentine flowers, or other gifts between couples in love, it originated in 5th Century Rome as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Catholic bishop.
For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a pagan celebration in mid-February commemorating young men's rite of passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the names of teenage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man in that manner would be his sexual companion during the remaining year.
In an effort to do away with the pagan festival, Pope Gelasius ordered a slight change in the lottery. Instead of the names of young women, 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 Roman men were not too pleased with the rule changes.
Why is it that the church must quash anything that might be the least bit pleasurable. If they had their way they'd even get inside your brain to erase even the slightest impure thought. God forbid we be thought of as physical creatures in the flesh.
2 comments:
Well, I posted my thoughts on that bullshit this morning and have no more to add to it.
I love the day, I really do, but screw the women that think they have it coming to them with expensive things and things that don't last, like flowers.
Religion has indeed quashed much human joy over the last few thousands of years. I don't know that it will ever cease in its efforts.
Post a Comment