What was in the air?
Here we are past mid month of February, the shortest of all months. A month with holidays that are celebrated or not celebrated. Presidents Day, eh? There's not much historically to celebrate there except for possibly a great deal on a household appliance. Then there is, as many call it the Hallmark holiday of Valentine's Day. In the Hallmark, they are referring to the greeting card company not a holiday that is one that we use to set a standard. As I sat at the dinner table I got an inquiry from a very young inqisitor "Who are you married to?" No one, said I, as there is no Answerwoman. "So you don't have a valentine?" said my dinner guest at age six. Very cleary the person I was married to previously was NOT the answer
There are several theories out there for humanity to grasp onto and fit your need to celebrate, or not, depending on your whim. The celebration of St. Valentine right? Maybe, maybe not. According to lore the "Saint" known as Valentine could be any one of three people. Oh boy, and in an unfortunate set of circumstance all left this earth on the same day...well that is like Diserendipity, my own euphemism for an unhappy coincidence, Ah, yes, with a bigger shovel and a little deeper dig reveals that it may have actually been born out of celebration of fertility (really!!?!?) called Lupercalia. A rather lurid celebration. This was somewhat of a brutal pagan ritual.
There was a pope, Gelasius the first...and hey I don't even know a Gelasius I'm glad that name was retired, who decided that he needed to bring some love and dignity back and usurp the pagan's on the same date. There was allegedly a "lover of women's day" that also got combined. Confused? Is it all just baloney, well no, becuase there's no one exchanging extra fatty processed animal products to show their love...but I digress.
In came Willie to turn it into something more than a lurid, whipping, sacrificial para - sex fest. William Shakespeare. Celebration of people and exchanging paper notes expressing feelings. Oh yeah, Shakespear was a romantic. At the end of the entire discussion I can say that no one really knows for sure how it started for sure. If it's your thing, it's your thing. Chocolate, cards, silver and gold, we don't know where it all started and for Hallmark it will never get old. It's not love it's capitalism.
The Answerman says "I've never been one to celebrate this holiday and we can all be happy we are not sacrificing animals and making abusive attempts to increase fertility. Chocolate over bologna is better even if I think this thing has devolved into nothing more than an economic driver. I take my happiness from things like the discussion with my dinner guest, a smile is better than a card, laughter sweeter than candy. So, life is my valentine.
There are several theories out there for humanity to grasp onto and fit your need to celebrate, or not, depending on your whim. The celebration of St. Valentine right? Maybe, maybe not. According to lore the "Saint" known as Valentine could be any one of three people. Oh boy, and in an unfortunate set of circumstance all left this earth on the same day...well that is like Diserendipity, my own euphemism for an unhappy coincidence, Ah, yes, with a bigger shovel and a little deeper dig reveals that it may have actually been born out of celebration of fertility (really!!?!?) called Lupercalia. A rather lurid celebration. This was somewhat of a brutal pagan ritual.
There was a pope, Gelasius the first...and hey I don't even know a Gelasius I'm glad that name was retired, who decided that he needed to bring some love and dignity back and usurp the pagan's on the same date. There was allegedly a "lover of women's day" that also got combined. Confused? Is it all just baloney, well no, becuase there's no one exchanging extra fatty processed animal products to show their love...but I digress.
In came Willie to turn it into something more than a lurid, whipping, sacrificial para - sex fest. William Shakespeare. Celebration of people and exchanging paper notes expressing feelings. Oh yeah, Shakespear was a romantic. At the end of the entire discussion I can say that no one really knows for sure how it started for sure. If it's your thing, it's your thing. Chocolate, cards, silver and gold, we don't know where it all started and for Hallmark it will never get old. It's not love it's capitalism.
The Answerman says "I've never been one to celebrate this holiday and we can all be happy we are not sacrificing animals and making abusive attempts to increase fertility. Chocolate over bologna is better even if I think this thing has devolved into nothing more than an economic driver. I take my happiness from things like the discussion with my dinner guest, a smile is better than a card, laughter sweeter than candy. So, life is my valentine.
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