Happy Valentine's Day

After researching the origin of Valentine’s Day, I’ve discovered various theories, but the most popular dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 AD. Claudius didn't want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed on February 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor's daughter signing it, "From your Valentine." Catchy Phrase!

Moving on to the “XOXOXO” – that’s really complicated!

X is the Greek equivalent to “CH.” (Hence the Xmas vs. Christmas) It took me years to figure that out. In medieval times, when common people were unable to write, the X was placed on the document as a kiss – placed to show their sincerity.

The “O” is of North American descent, but no one seems to really know how it began. Theory is that the round shape represents arms encircling one another as in the embrace.

So X = Kiss O = Embrace.

Of course, I always thought XO mean Love and Kisses. So I’m going with the X = 2 lovers individually being a mere simple line but together creating the Xperience of love, joy and happiness. The “O” represents the circle of love with no beginning and no end.

Hey, my theory is as good as anyone else’s.

Here are more Valentine fun facts:

Food:

• Girls of medieval times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future spouse. (Quick, grab the oysters!)
•  Casanova, known as "The World's Greatest Lover," ate chocolate to make him virile.

• Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine's Day in the U.S. 

Flowers:

• The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
• Red roses are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic feelings.
• Approximately 110 million roses, mostly red, will be sold and delivered within the three-day Valentine's Day time period.

I’ve got it – Chocolate Roses – those should be worth a couple of BILLION!

And finally, the most fabulous and tragic gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India.  Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built it as a memorial to his third wife who died during childbirth. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648   and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later.  Shortly after the Taj Mahal was completed, his son put him under “house arrest.” When he died, he was placed next to his beloved wife in the mausoleum. 

The bottom line is there are many beautiful love stories and some heart enduring. But on this Valentine’s Day, let’s focus on giving out lots of XXXX OOOO’s!

Happy Valentine’s Day!