By Petulia Clarke , Staff Reporter
THE IMAGE of the cherubic Roman love-god Cupid piercing unsuspecting lovers with his magic arrow pretty much sums up February 14 for most.
Chocolate candy, red roses, red and white decorations and mutterings of 'I love you' are expected to cause love to rekindle and new loves spark. No doubt, Cupid's miracles are expected at some time during the day.
The mysterious saint St. Valentine is expected to work through Cupid's arrow to bring love; if it doesn't happen on Valentine's Day, there's little hope for romance for the rest of the year.
But who is this saint and why do we celebrate his holiday? The history of Valentine's Day is still a mystery, comprising parts of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.
Legend has it that in Rome before the third century, February 15 was the day of the spring festival, Lupercalia, held in honour of the Roman protection god, Lupercus. During the day of celebration, young women would put their names on paper and place them in a jar. A young man would choose a paper from the jar, and the girl whose name was written on it would be his sweetheart for the rest of the year.
Valentine was a Christian priest who served at time when Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, outlawing marriage for young men. Valentine, realising the injustice, defied the emperor and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered he was put to death on February 14.
Valentine became a saint when Rome became Christian and Valentine's Day was celebrated instead of Lupercalia with one hinge, the young women held on to the tradition of placing their names in jars. The compromise was made for people thereon to send cards to their loved ones in honour of St Valentine's death instead.
Cupid, the son of Venus, the Roman god of love, whose arrow is supposed to cause people to fall deeply in love, was assimilated into the culture in much the same compromise.
Other stories hold that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. Another legend has it that Valentine actually sent the first 'Valentine' greeting himself while he was in prison and fell in love with the jailer's daughter who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine.'
No matter what you believe though, over the years the sentiments expressed centre on early-year expressions of true love for lovers, friends and family. That's where the chocolates, believed to be aphrodisiac, and red roses, the truest symbol of love, come in.
