Valentines – The Heart of the Matter

While some people say Valentine’s Day is a Christian holiday, others say it has pagan background. Regardless of its origins, Valentine’s Day represents romance, and what symbolizes love more than a heart?  Nothing, I say.

So here’s a brief history of both sides of the story, just so you can justify your time browsing this blog and say that you learned something.

There are two sides to the Christian history.  One is that when Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men.  Valentine (a Catholic priest), realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.

The other story suggests that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.

The pagan history says that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

Any way you slice it, there is love and romance attached to this holiday.  So what better way to show your love than with hearts?  Feast your eyes on the variety of heart-shaped or heart-inspired jewelry to adorn your loved one with.  It’s more meaningful and lasts much longer than chocolate, and it won’t affect your figure! Not all of the pictures have a link, but if any of these inspire you, please contact me for a complimentary consultation and we can design a heart-shaped piece just for you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love,
Nadine