Valentine ... party or the consumer? the wake of the United States, Valentine's Day has become a secular festival that serves to increase consumption and therefore production. In fact, the liturgical calendar will celebrate after the reform of 1970, the Saints Cyril and Methodius, who lived in the ninth century, were the heralds of Russia. At one time their party fell on July 7, while February 14 was dedicated to St. Valentine, now removed from the universal calendar because of little significance for the Church. But the cancellation had no effect, so much so that the almanacs and calendars continue to record the name of the two by adding the evangelization of the Slavs. Moreover, too many were too many customs and above all commercial interests related to the party because the decision of the Council for the liturgical reform had some effect.
On Valentine, bishop and patron saint of Terni, little is known except that he was beheaded in Rome in 273, during the persecution of Aurelian. A later passed argues that he was buried in a cemetery near Terni, on which it would then sort a basilica, radically transformed in 1618. A few years earlier, June 21, 1605, the bishop, Gianantonio Onorato, had found the body of the saint and the patron had placed in a leaden box.
As for passion, before the eighth century and whose reliability is more than doubtful, says that the Bishop Valentine, known for his skills as a healer, was invited to Rome by the rhetorician and philosopher craton because they heal his son, whose back was so bent on forcing him to keep his head between his knees. Valentino promised healing as long as the whole family would commit to convert. It was so converted to three young Athenians, students of the philosopher, Proculo, and Efebo Apollonius. The news was too sensational to go unnoticed, so that the prefect Placidus imprisoned Valentino trying in vain to push him to sacrifice to the gods. Exhortations to no avail and even a beating: he was sentenced to be beheaded. When the executioners had left them, the three young men, picked up the body, carried him in Terni by burying it in a cemetery in the suburbs that they had purchased. They too were later beheaded.
the same date mentioned yet another Valentine's Day, commemorated also by Bede and beheaded, according to the legendary Passio et maris Marthae in the third century by Emperor Claudius the Goth on the Via Flaminia, where Pope Julius I built a basilica. In fact, this second Valentino has never been a saint, but simply the benefactor who financed the construction of the basilica and therefore gave her, according to the tradition of the period, the name: the biography of Julius I (337-52) of the Catalogue Liberia is written that facit basilicam [...] Via Flaminia mil. II quae appellatur Valentini. Between the fifth and sixth century they began to worship him wrongly, as happened to many other benefactors who founded churches in Rome, and sometimes confused with the bishop of Terni.
Over time, the two figures were merged to give rise to only one Valentino, which contributed to the popularity Jacopo da Voragine says, in the Golden Legend , as a venerable priest, the emperor, intrigued by his fame, he summoned to the palace. "Why will not you be our friend" asked him to "worship the gods and giving up your superstitions?" And Valentino: "If you knew the grace of God would not say so, but despise your idols and worship the Lord in heaven" . He continued to talk by showing that the only true faith and holy was the one in Christ. He was so eloquent and persuasive that the emperor could not help but exclaim: "Romans, this man speaks with great wisdom."
The prefect, present at the meeting with other courtiers, he began to worry about a possible conversion of Claudius. Then called him back to his duty: "The emperor is fooled," he said. "We should therefore abandon what we considered to be true from childhood?". Those words brought back the emperor to the respect of his duties as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman religion. And yet, not wanting to persecute the holy priest, he merely to a nobleman in the charge. When Valentine was entered the palace he said: "Lord Jesus Christ, true light, illuminates this house so that its inhabitants I acknowledge God. " "I feel that relying on Christ as the light," replied the noble. "Well, if he lights up my daughter who is blind, I'll do whatever you want." Valentino gathered in prayer and it was not a minute that the girl, oh miracle, he recovered his sight, and everyone tells Jacopo da Voragine, embraced the faith of Christ. Then the emperor ordered that Valentine was beheaded: he was about the year of our Lord 280.
Then the two figures were again separated. But back to the bishop of Terni, in whose legend does not appear to be in love. How could then be born this patronage? It was indirectly responsible for the Benedictines, who guarded the church in the early Middle Ages. They spread the cult of the saint in their monasteries to France and England, where his patronage has risen by coincidence calendar. In fact, in the late Middle Ages, when February 14 to correspond to reality at the end of the month due to the Julian calendar, in advance of the solar year by about eleven days, were born a few proverbs to announce the approaching spring. The temperature warmed, the birds began to sing in the trees and to mate: so was born on Valentine's Day saying the lark makes Nidina For Valentine's Day flowers and the thorn. For the love of birds is also inspired The proverb A Valentine's Day Valentine each chooses his valentine, and together with it the party of the engaged them in England until the fifteenth century, they began to exchange their notes tenderly humorous.
Later, to justify the patronage, he devised the leggendine sugar as what is said in Terni: there was once a beautiful maiden named Serapia, who fell in love with a pagan centurion, Sabino. When the young were able to finally overcome the resistance of parents, thanks to the baptism of Sabino, it was discovered that he was consumptive Serapia: after a few more months could not even rise from bed. He was called to the bedside of the dying Bishop Valentine, to which the boyfriend asked not to be separated from the beloved. The wish was granted: he died hugging Serapia. A recent law, an American, said instead of Valentino, feeling they were going through an engaged couple arguing over the hedge of his garden, he went out to meet them and gave them a miraculous red rose, which had the power to reconcile them. The two young men then took it to be your Valentine to bless their union, when the news spread, many other couples asked to be blessed by him, and so the bishop can not please all separately, stated that there was a day, February 14 in fact, dedicated to fulfill this request.
A variant of the Anglo-Saxon bishop said that he used to offer couples of young people who passed by his garden to a flower. Two of these young people were married with the blessing of the bishop. The news spread and by that time all the couples around Terni and took his wedding blessing, so Valentine became the patron of lovers.
There were some who wanted to reconnect to the lovers' holiday Lupercalia, which fell on February 15, arguing that Pope Gelasius in 496, to eradicate this rite that some pagans continued to celebrate, he fixed the day before Valentine's Day : and just as we celebrate Valentine's Day on 14, became the bishop of Terni their protector. But interpretation is not based on any document: we only know that the pope protested to the survival of pagan ceremony. [...] Besides the Lupercalia had a completely different value.
last assumption is completely unfounded, is traced back on the patronage of love 1465, when John Paul II authorized the Cardinal Torquemada founded the Confraternity of the Santissima Annunziata, which was to provide a dowry for poor girls: headquarters of the brotherhood was Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It was a coincidence or the Cardinal wanted to secure their having learned of the Feb. 14 Valentine's Day, now popular in North? In any case it was not in that initiative to inspire the patronage on love, so much so that in Rome celebrated the anniversary.
The distribution of skills, which then helped other prelates and popes, including Urban VII, who left his entire fortune to the brotherhood, becomes a festive celebration for Roman girls of marriageable age, who attended, that days, the mass celebrated by Pope and marched in procession.
The Valentine's Day has emigrated to England and thence to America, where it has come back to us transformed into a secular event, for which no longer satisfied, as a time to exchange affectionate or humorous cards, known as "Valentine" or a flower, maybe one of those daisies sprouting in early February in the Italian-central, but it is almost obligatory gift expensive, as is the case, however, for other parties in consumption induced by the Mum quellla the first Sunday of May, that of Father March 19, promoted by advertising and industries to increase production together with waste, greed and dissatisfaction of the populace. And do not be surprised if in future the party flourish of his little brother, aunt, dog, cat or canary .
(emphasis mine)
