The emperor of Rome at the time, was a barbaric tyrant by the name of Claudius. Claudius the Cruel, as he was later called, decided that the only way to get his young subjects to travel more and see the world was to interdict the holy sacrament of Matrimony. No ring, no sing. No ring? Bring on the Vikings.

Enter Father Valentine. Valentine was a fearless and devout evangelist, who along with a little herd of fellow priests, defied the edict and continued to perform nuptials; in secret of course. The secret soon got out, however, and while as yet no word from the other chap, poor Valentine was chained and bound and bound for the chopping block.

While in jail awaiting execution, Valentine is said to have become enamored with his jail keeper’s blind daughter and legend has it that through his faith, she was given sight. Receiving word of his impending doom, Valentine decided to pour his heart out to his beloved, for she must know how strong his love was. He is said to have concluded the letter with the words, “from your Valentine” and the rest as they say is history. So too was poor Father Valentine, however, for at dawn on the very next morn, he was left forlorn and his beloved lovelorn.

It is not for sure if that first Valentine did fall on a Saturday, which would then have made the previous day a Friday the thirteenth, but then naaaaaah, it probably had nothing to do with that. Nevertheless, Father Valentine was not too lucky on that day for he was beaten and stoned to death and as if to make double sure, he was thereafter beheaded. And I know, I too would have wished for a happier ending but it is not my story, it’s his-tory.

Anyway, Rome’s plans did not fare too well and it wasn’t long thereafter, that love was back in the air. And not that it would have been much consolation to poor Valentine, but since that day, every year around this time, lovers the world over send love notes to each other and sign them the very same way, “from your Valentine”. Truth of the matter is of course, that eons before Father Valentine ever started tying knots, Cupid and Eros were shooting shots, arrows that is.

Valentine’s Day, a la Christmas, was a time of much significance to the elders whom we refer to as pagans. It was the feast known as Lupercalia, when the young folks would celebrate their rite of passage; kinda like bar mitzvah I guess. Lupercalia was a holiday in honor of the god of fertility. A priest of the god Lupercus would sacrifice an animal and cut from its hide a strap. Anyone who got touched with this strap, and one might imagine a few other things, would soon thereafter, become pregnant, or so the story goes. The strap was called a Februa which translated from Latin meant, “means of purification”. As one can imagine, it had more than a little to do with how the month of February got its name.

Anyway, whether in honor of Lupercus or Valentine, since time immemorial, we have always on the Ides of February, celebrated love and the union between the sexes. And while some relationships do run aground and some even stay on the rocks, when two people are happy together, there is no greater happiness in the world. I believe as they say, that “love is a many splendoured thing” and if you have love, it should be treasured and nurtured. If you have not yet found love or have lost at this oft insane game, then please do not lose faith, for good things come to those who wait.

To all the lovers out there, happy Valentine’s and may your love be everlasting. To those on whose heart cupid’s arrow has not found a mark, stay ready and forget not what is in fact the greatest love of all.