Valentine’s Day didn’t start out as a one-day archery season sponsored by the CPW. They probably didn’t write any state regulations concerning use of pink OHVs driven by fat little cherubs shooting arrows. Of course, cherubs have stubby wings, so they might not need the OHV rental with pink camo paint job.
Feb. 14 was the day on the Roman Catholic calendar listed as St. Valentine’s Feast Day. It was to celebrate three Christian martyrs who died for their faith. How it morphed into a Hallmark holiday complete with cards, candy, flowers and poetry is a long journey full of fables and short on facts.
In medieval England and France, the middle of February was accepted as prime time for birds to pick out mates. Somehow bird husbandry on Feb. 14 got promoted to human romance and mixed with the Greek and Roman gods of love and desire predating Christ.
A good portion of poetry is devoted to Valentine’s Day. In 1382, Geoffrey Chaucer dedicated “Seynt Valentynes” to lovers, forever connecting the holiday with letters, gifts and signs of affection. Shakespeare carried on in the same fashion in 1601. The poem which included “Roses are Red and Violets are Blue” came from an old English nursery rhyme. I am partially color blind. Can someone explain why the violets were blue, not violet? The Greek god Cupid started out as a slender youth with wings. It wasn’t until the Hellenistic age that Cupid was portrayed as a cheeky fat infant flying around with a miniature bow. What a demotion from “powerful Greek god”! Legend has it that these winged stalkers flew around with bows armed with two kinds of arrows: gold and lead. The golden arrows were supposed to inspire romance and the leaden arrows sowed dislike. I can see why the CPW has outlawed lead ammunition. The legend is a little fuzzy about what part of the anatomy the arrow was to be lodged. Frankly, if I am ever pierced in the Southern regions with either arrow, my mood will not be amorous. It is really hard to feel romantic sitting (or more likely, laying) in the emergency room at PMC. I would more likely be wishing those cherubs would freeze their…togas in our Northwest Colorado February cold.
In 1868, the Cadbury company of England created a fancy heart shaped box of chocolates for the occasion. This tradition of giving of chocolates was exported to Japan in 1936. The whole thing got lost in translation and “saint” was not a concept familiar to the Japanese. The giving of chocolates on Valentines is now big business in Japan today. It makes up half on their annual chocolate sales. In Japan however, it is the women who give the gifts, mostly to co-workers and friends. They give it a personal twist by equating the quality of chocolate to the value of the friendship. High-end department stores make a mint on very expensive boxes of chocolates. I like this idea! How else do you think those little cherubs got so fat?
By ED PECK | Special to the Herald Times
