Thursday, February 15, 2007

What Hallmark Doesn't Tell You About Valentine's Day

Now that the holiday is over, I have a confession: My hubby and I don't make a big deal about Valentine's Day anymore.

Has the "spark" left our marriage? Hardly! But when we learned the origins of Valentine's Day, all this focus on romantic love seemed out of place. (This from a woman who is a huge romantic and married to an equally romantic man!!)

Here's what the "Hallmark Holiday" forgets:

Valentine was a 13th century pastor who was imprisoned for his faith. Reaching through his jail cell, he would pluck leaves from a maple tree just outside his cell. On these leaves he wrote pastoral notes to his congregation. These Valentines expressed his love for the flock and his desire that they demonstrate that love for one another. Gradually the tradition grew up for Christians to exchange notes of love and encouragement to one another on February 14 - Valentine's birthday.

For this story and other wonderful history lessons/devotional lessons from history and important dates, check out The Christian Almanac: A Dictionary of Days Celebrating History's Most Significant People and Events.

No comments: