Valentine?

When you get old you've seen a lot of Valentine days but that doesn't stop the memories flooding in. It was so exciting as a girl waiting to see if you had any cards and more importantly who might be sending them. The competition in my girls grammar school was intense. I am fairly sure now that some very tall tales were used to try to edge out possible competitors in the love stakes but then it was most important to go into school with at least two cards to show. Some had several! So we hated them naturally.
St Valentine was a little known saint supposedly martyred in Rome as an early Christian. I imagine he would be astonished by the importance of his name in this century. The church of Rome and us Anglicans don't celebrate his day though I believe the Orthodox church does but not in February.
My husband always said that the cards should be anonymous , and to that end every card I ever got from him on this day always had " guess who?" inside them. I always did so no prizes there.
What ever you think about this strange custom it might well have been just an excuse for another festival. After Christmas it was a long haul before Easter with the rigors of Lent to endure. A bit of romance would go
down well once all the festive eating had stopped.
A few flowers and chocolates might be very well received in the middle of this cold month. And it's certainly better than Lupercalia.




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