Best of Boomer Blogs: Valentine’s Sweet Thoughts

I hope your week was filled with chocolate or flowers whether you have a Valentine or not. Even though the holiday is known for its commercial appeal, it does have a history.

Valentine’s Day may have originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia celebrated in mid-February. It was a pagan fertility celebration dedicated to Faunus, the Roman God of agriculture, and the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed. To Christianize the day of feasting, Pope Gelasius declared February 14th Valentine’s Day at the end of the 5th century.

The holiday was said to celebrate two martyrs who died from Roman persecution and were associated with St. Valentine. It was not associated with love until the Middle Ages after Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the 1375 poem “Parliament of Flows” about birds mating.

The oldest known Valentine was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

The Valentine’s Day tradition of giving cards with Cupids began during the Victorian era. Cupid had roots in Greek Mythology.

Many women, who do not have Valentines celebrate Galentine’s Day on February 13. It became popular after an episode of “Parks and Recreation.”

Our Best of Boomer Blogs bloggers wrote about Valentine’s Day and other topics this week.

Carol Cassara

Valentine’s week can be hard for some–those who are grieving, going through a breakup or even just having a hard time with current events. This week, Carol Cassara offers a short exercise to send more love out into the world in “How to Come from the Heart in these Dark Times.”

Meryl Baer

Valentine’s Day has become a big deal, with ads and promotions saturating the media. For Meryl Baer of Musings of a Shore Life, the holiday brings back memories of a major event in her life that occurred decades ago. She recounts the experience in this week’s post.

Rita R. Robison

The “Dating or Defrauding?” February campaign cautions Americans to be skeptical of any request from online acquaintances for cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers, or other forms of payment. Rita R. Robison, consumer and personal finance journalist, writes about what red flags to watch out for in romance scams, which can empty out your bank accounts and savings.

Laurie Stone

It’s no secret. We all “un-remember” things as we age, admits Laurie Stone. Sometimes those moments are easy to shrug off. Sometimes they can be frustrating, even rattling. Here are the five most common things people of a certain lifespan forget. Can you relate?

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