Today is...

[IceWizard]

14 Feb 2017

To all our most wonderful ladies here at our online home "IOPList"




Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England.

THE LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINE

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

ORIGINS OF VALENTINE’S DAY: A PAGAN FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

VALENTINE’S DAY: A DAY OF ROMANCE

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

TYPICAL VALENTINE’S DAY GREETINGS

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.



National Donor Day



Donor Day is a holiday that celebrates all those people who have helped save people’s lives by donating blood, marrow, tissue, and even organs. It’s a holiday that drives home exactly how amazing and giving the human spirit is because it pays tribute to so many people who have donated of themselves, often to help save the life of someone they’ve never met.

So, how can you celebrate Donor Day? It’s quite easy, and don’t worry because you don’t have to go out and actually find someone who needs an organ. You can take a small step by donating some blood, which is a completely painless process. However, your blood could be instrumental in saving someone’s life because blood transfusions are responsible for saving millions of lives annually.

Finding out where you can donate blood is relatively simple. You can conduct an online search to find out where you can donate in your local area. You could also speak to your doctor, who’ll be able to give you all the information you need. There are also apps available that not only show how many people require a certain blood type at any one time but also organ, tissue, and marrow requirements.

Donor Day is all about being selfless and giving of yourself to save another person’s life. It’s a celebration of everything that’s wonderful about humanity, and a holiday we should all be celebrating.



And



Pet Theft Awareness Day



Pet Theft Awareness Day is meant to call attention to the importance of pet identification methods. It is a day for considering just how much the presence of an animal can enrich a family and also the responsibility that goes with it. It is a day that encourages those with pets to take steps to ensure the animal’s security and their own peace of mind.

Launched in 1988 by the Last Chance for Animals organization, Pet Theft Awareness Day is aimed at educating animal owners in keeping their pets safe from thieves. With almost 2 million pets being stolen annually in American alone, the threat is real. Two options are to have pets micro-chipped or tattooed, which can provide an opportunity for some group bonding. An indelible imprint denoting who belongs to who can bind a couple and their pets until death do them part. Not for the more fickle though.

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February 14 Birthdays


Frederick Douglass - (1818 - 1895) (77)



Florence Henderson - (1934 - 2016) (82)



Teller - 69



Michael Bloomberg - 75



Jim Kelly - 57





February 14th

2003: Stolen reel-to-reel tapes of The Beatles’ recording sessions for their self-titled album & Abbey Road were discovered in Australia after they were advertised for sale in a Sydney newspaper. The tapes were stolen from their London studio in 1969.

1999: Elton John made a guest appearance as himself on a Valentine’s Day edition of The Simpsons.

1992: Wayne’s World which featured cameo appearances from Alice Cooper & Meat Loaf opened at movie theaters throughout North America.

1987: Boston peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “We’re Ready” which was their final top ten single in the U.S.

1984: Joe Perry & Brad Withford met with Aerosmith backstage after their concert at Boston’s Orpheum Theatre & agreed to re-join the group, which was announced the following April.

1981: Steely Dan peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Hey Nineteen” which was their third and final top ten single in the U.S.

1978: Dire Straits began recording their debut album at Basing Street Studios in London with producer Muff Winwood.

1976: Electric Light Orchestra peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Evil Woman” which was their second top ten single in the U.S.

1970: The Who recorded their concert at Leeds University in Leeds, U.K. which would later be released the following May as the live album Live at Leeds.



Birthdays:

Vic Briggs - Guitarist for The Animals born in 1945

Doug Simril - Drummer for Steve Miller Band & Boz Scaggs born in 1946

Roger Fisher - Guitarist for Heart born in 1950