Plaisir d’amour

This montage from our Podcast Vault revisits a post from February 8, 2019. It can be found in our archives at https://archive.org/details/pcast303

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The origin of Valentine’s Day is found in the ancient pagan culture of Rome and Greece. The month of February was always considered as a month of romance and fertility. History proves that St. Valentine’s day originated from two obscene Roman festivals of fertility called Lupercalia and Feast of Juno Februata both celebrated in mid-February. 

The Roman Emperor Constantine accepted Christianity but pagan festivals continued in his empire and pagan customs were soon integrated into Christianity. In AD 494, Pope Gelasius I decided to suppress the perverted pagan festivals. He replaced the Feast of Juno Februata with St. Valentine’s Day and moved it to 14th February. Different stories were created by the Roman Catholic church to attribute this festival to one Saint Valentine, whose origins are obscure. It was clearly an attempt by the Roman Catholic church to whitewash the pagan celebrations with a label of Christianity. 
In 1969, the Catholic Church revised its liturgical calendar, removing the feast days of saints whose historical origins were questionable. St. Valentine was one of the casualties.

Over the centuries, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging handmade cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts eventually spread to the American colonies. The tradition of Valentine's cards did not become widespread in the United States, however, until the 1850s, when Esther A. Howland began mass-producing them. Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are valentines.

THe montage was shared last year and the original musing does a good job justifying my choices. As bonus material, here's a cute YouTube playlist full of "Cute Couple Songs"

I think you (still) will love this music too.