The Origin of Valentines Day

The official countdown for Valentines Day is 20 days. As we stare at the endless rows of cards, candy, and stuffed animals, either the day of, day before, or (for some overachievers) weeks in advance, we think of where this holiday actually began. It is interesting that Valentines Day is named after three Christian martyrs with the last name of Valentine. The "Valentines" were from Rome and were killed for their Christian faith. The Roman Catholics began a feast day (i.e. potluck or dinner on the grounds) on February 14th to celebrate the life of the Valentines.

As the Medieval period came and went, history buffs, opportunists, and creative authors became the catalysts for what is today known as Valentine's Day. The first recorded writing, mixing Valentines Day with love, was by Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote "For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."

As time went on, romantic legends commenced and tales were told of one of the Valentine martyrs who wrote a love letter before his death, but there is no solid evidence of such. What we do know is that as soon as Christmas decorations were removed, begrudgingly by Wal-greens employees, Valentine bears littered the shelves.

According to the US Greeting Card Association, 190 million valentine day cards are sent each year. The majority of them given to teachers. Some families do not believe in giving out cards and instead build a bonfire as fire represents "passion".

All Americans face this day.. whether single, married, divorced, dating.. etc.. We find ourself staring at a row of cards at CVS, googling flower shops, buying gift cards, and beating our brains for words as (since the invention of the Iphone n such) its hard for us to think straight. There we stand. Pondering...

How do you define love in words... Jesus was an example for us to follow.. His "Valentine's" to us is found in the Bible.. not only did He give us words in a book.. His actions dripped with love.. for us.. sinners.. When we fail, he loves... When his friends were sorrowful, Jesus wept.. when we had nothing to give, He gave all and sacraficed His life for ours.. (Matthew 20:28)"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many". (Just like the original Valentine martyrs)... THIS is an example of true love...

Many of us take for granted the ultimate sacrafice, but this Valentine's Day, I challenge you to not just think about the person on earth who makes you smile... remember the Creator.. who gave you breath...

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Anthropomorphic_Valentine,_crica_1950.JPG

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