THE TRUE STORY OF VALENTINE’S DAY
DID YOU KNOW that the celebration of Valentine’s Day in the middle of February is based on the pagan feast called the Lupercalia? Lupercalia was a fertility festival celebrated in Rome on February 15. It is dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
According to legend, on this day, all the young women in the city placed their names in a big urn, then the city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with the woman whose name they picked from the urn. The matches often ended in marriage.
At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day – just to separate it a bit from from the pagan Lupercalia. Only in the Middle Ages did the day become totally associated with love. Maybe it is because the birds’ mating season begins on February 14. This definitely added to the idea that Valentine’s Day is a day for romance.
By the middle of the 18th century, it was already the practice for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes – a practice that survives to this day, and how!
In the Philippines, V-Day is almost as big as Christmas, with food venues, romantic date places, flowers and sweets really raking it in on or around Valentine’s Day.
Where are you going on Valentine’s Day? Coupled or loveless, the Music Museum can send you happy vibes with two Valentine shows : No Husband, No Lover – a Funny Valentine Concert — starring Ruffa Mae Quinto and Gladys Guevara on February 12 and Samahang Walang Ka-Valentine starring Ogie Alcasid with Solenn Heusaff on February 13, 14 and 15. Now, that’s Love..
