Being a single guy, with my last relationship ending somewhere around 20 months ago, you'd think I would give Valentine's Day the cold shoulder, right? Well, here's why I appreciate the holiday, and why I disagree with all those who think a day like this shouldn't exist because "we should show love every day." BUT FIRST, a history lesson!
The holiday wasn't always so lovey-dovey. Back in the day, the festival taking place sometime in February was a celebration of the fertility gods. The people would sacrifice animals, peel off strips of the skin, and whack their women with the bloody strips in an attempt to make them more fertile. This is completely logical, after all. Happy Valentine's Day, honey.
We get the modern holiday and name, though, from Father Valentine. Under Emperor Claudius, marriage was banned in order to try to eradicate homesickness from war-weary soldiers. Valentine had an issue with this ban, and would marry couples behind the emperor's back. Eventually he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Rumor has it that the illegally-wed couples would give Father Valentine gifts of appreciation such as flowers. And, on the day he was to be executed (February 14th), he gave a note to the jailer's daughter that he had fallen in love with, signing it "from your Valentine." What a romantic guy. I imagine he didn't picture his acts leading to an old woman straddling a stick of unsalted butter, but it is what it is.
