February may be cold enough to set our fingers tingling in the Northern Hemisphere but it is also the month our hearts a warmed with thoughts of love as we approach Saint Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day 2012
Confusingly there are a number of St. Valentines as the name was quite common in ancient Rome, however, it is usually said that the saint who is remembered on the 14th February was a priest who was beheaded under the orders of Emperor Claudius. Sadly, this Saint’s story is without any romantic incident!
The Lupercalia
Fortunately for romantics everywhere this festival of love predates Christianity and was originally called The Lupercalia. During this festival which was dedicated to Juno and Pan, young men and women would have their names placed in a box, the names were drawn and the couples paired off accordingly.
Parlement of Foules
The earliest recorded notion of St. Valentine’s Day being associated with romance is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer.
Chaucer wrote:
“For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
For this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.”
Mechanical Valentine’s
By the 18th Century, printers were producing cards with verses and sketches, called “mechanical valentines,” and the following century began the practice of mailing Valentines. Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 19th century that they were assembled in factories.
Saint Valentine’s Day
Naturally, with time, people decided that St. Valentine’s Day was the perfect opportunity to discover who their next sweetheart would be. The questioner would write the names of several potential partners on a piece of paper and roll them into balls of wet clay, then place the clay balls in a bowl of water. As the clay dissolved the paper would float to the surface and the first to reach the top would bear the name of the questioner’s new amour.
Venus the Goddess of Love
If your love life is a little lack luster you might like to attract cupid’s attention by wearing items made from copper which is associated with Venus the goddess of love, alternatively you could decide to wear or carry rose quartz which the crystal most associated with romantic matters.
Romantic Prospects 2012
Then again if you would like to consult me for your Romantic Prospects, join me at your Love and Romance Horoscopes 2012 or speak to one of my team of Live Psychic Consultants, who can provide illumination.
