Saturday, February 14, 2009

Valentines Day



Want to know more about St Valentine?

Read Wiki.

The feast day of Saint Valentine, priest and martyr, was included in the Tridentine Calendar, with the rank of Simple, on February 14. In 1955, Pope Pius XII reduced the celebration to a commemoration within the celebration of the occurring weekday. In 1969, this commemoration was removed from the General Roman Calendar, but Saint Valentine continues to be recognized as a saint, since he is included in the Roman Martyrology, the Catholic Church's official list of saints. The feast day of Saint Valentine also continues to be included in local calendars of places such as Balzan and Malta, where relics of the saint are claimed to be found.

Our Valentines Day customs? From the Catholic Encyclopedia ~

The popular customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day undoubtedly had their origin in a conventional belief generally received in England and France during the Middle Ages, that on 14 February, i.e. half way through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair. Thus in Chaucer's Parliament of Foules we read:

For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.

For this reason the day was looked upon as specially consecrated to lovers and as a proper occasion for writing love letters and sending lovers' tokens. Both the French and English literatures of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries contain allusions to the practice.


We went to a Latin Mass. Anthony made a cake . With Smarties placed in a heart shape on the frosting. I made one of dh's favourite meals - beef curry with vegetables, dhal and pappadums.

I also gave dh a gift. A DVD. Not very romantic, I know, but it is a DVD he has wanted for awhile. Munich. Besides, it was nicely wrapped in a glittery, sparkly, gift bag..


Combining the secular ( the commercialism of a Valentines gift) and the sacred ( Mass)...with learning ( our reading above).

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