There’s more than a little confusion about who St Valentine really was… in fact, there’s the possibility that more than one St. Valentine (Valentinus) actually lived, at different times in history.

It is claimed by some that the celebration of Valentine’s Day may have evolved from an attempt by the Christian Church to “Christianize” the Pagan celebration of Lupercalia — a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture.

Much later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which further enhanced the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

Though Valentine greetings were popular in the Middle Ages, written valentines didn’t begin to appear until after the year 1400. The oldest valentine still in existence in the British library in London, was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

We send and receive Valentine’s Day cards to celebrate love.

Here is my Poem of the Month on the subject.

LOVE

It’s easy to believe there’s only one kind of love,
But in reading, you’ll find there are many;
All named by the Greeks, their subtleties explained,
And repeated, repeated in litany.

The many types all come back to the beginning;
Love doesn’t exist in a plurality.
The various descriptions are just manifestations
Of love, a single reality.

To lose yourself in another’s arms
Or in another’s company…
Or to lose yourself in suffering for
All victims, and there are many…

To lose yourself in any of the ways,
Some of which are described above
Is the only way to find yourself.
And the word for it is “love.”

Of all the powers love carries the most clout;
It has no counterpart.
Love alone can conquer the final bastion;
It can win the human heart.

But also it can be as powerless as a kitten.
By itself it remains impotent.
It needs direction and gentle prodding.
It can do nothing except by consent.