Chapy's Corner
My Funny Valentine
Dr. Eric Anthony Joseph
Issue date: 2/14/07 Section: Opinion
My dear Langstonites, it is that romantic time again for one of my annual Valentine's epistle, which is also my 188th edition of Chapy's Corner. Today, we will attempt to discover the so-called truth about Valentine's Day. It is not to judge people growing in, searching for, or falling in or out of love, but to bring knowledge and understanding to my dear learned community of intelligentsia. Do not hate!
Today, February 14th, we celebrate Valentine's Day. Although it is currently celebrated as a lovers' holiday, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love or even in lust, it originated in 5th Century A.D. Rome as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Roman Catholic bishop.
For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a hedonistic and 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 and so-called Christianize it, 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. The game was for each person to emulate the ways of the saint that 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.
Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Roman Catholic Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Bishop Valentine, who, in A.D. 270 had been beheaded by Emperor Claudius.
Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Bishop Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him. When Claudius found out about Bishop Valentine, he first tried to convert him to paganism. But Bishop Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was stoned and beheaded.
Today, February 14th, we celebrate Valentine's Day. Although it is currently celebrated as a lovers' holiday, with the giving of candy, flowers, or other gifts between couples in love or even in lust, it originated in 5th Century A.D. Rome as a tribute to St. Valentine, a Roman Catholic bishop.
For eight hundred years prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day, the Romans had practiced a hedonistic and 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 and so-called Christianize it, 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. The game was for each person to emulate the ways of the saint that 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.
Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Roman Catholic Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place. They found an appropriate choice in Bishop Valentine, who, in A.D. 270 had been beheaded by Emperor Claudius.
Claudius had determined that married men made poor soldiers. So he banned marriage from his empire. But Bishop Valentine would secretly marry young men that came to him. When Claudius found out about Bishop Valentine, he first tried to convert him to paganism. But Bishop Valentine reversed the strategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was stoned and beheaded.
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