Today is Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday rolled into one!
Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent, the six weeks of penitence before Easter.
According to Church fathers, Ash Wednesday is a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for reconciliation with God and marks the beginning of the penitential Lenten season. It is commonly observed with the distribution of ashes and with fasting.
Concerning Val’s Day, Encyclopædia Britannica states that it is a holiday when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It is also called St. Valentine’s Day. The holiday has expanded to express affection between relatives and friends.
The encyclopædia notes that normal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. The first commercial valentines in the United States were printed in the mid-1800s.
Valentines commonly depict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts, traditionally the seat of emotion. Because it was thought that the avian mating season begins in mid-February, birds also became a symbol of the day. Traditional gifts include candy and flowers, particularly red roses, a symbol of beauty and love.
Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, Valentine’s Day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the Roman emperor Claudius II Gothicus. Other accounts hold that it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, for whom the holiday was named, though it is possible that the two saints were actually one person.
Valentine’s Day is popular in the United States as well as in Britain, Canada, and Australia, and it is also celebrated in other countries, including Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea. In the Philippines, it is the most common wedding anniversary.
Valentine’s Day is commonly celebrated by exchanging handmade or store-bought “Valentines” (greeting cards) or other tokens of affection like chocolates and flowers. In many schools, it has become customary for young students to bring in Valentines to swap with classmates. Traditions of the holiday’s observance can vary with the country.
Whichever of the two occasions you wish to celebrate today, moderation and caution are the watchwords.
