The Origins of Valentine's Day

by Michelle Miles

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m excited to be here blogging on this day for lovers. And in honor of today, I'm giving away one eBook of the winner's choice of my two latest releases, One Knight Only or Phoenix Fire. All you have to do is comment on this post or over at my blog on today's post to be entered to win. If you comment on BOTH posts, you get your name in the hat twice. You have until midnight CST to get those comments in! Winner will be announced at my blog on Thursday, February 16. Good luck!

Some say the origin of Valentine’s Day dates back to Lupercalia, an ancient possibly pre-Roman festival observed February 13 through February 15 to aver evil spirits and purify the city.

Lupercalia is one of the most ancient Roman holidays. It is also referenced in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in which Marc Anthony offers Caesar the crown three times in Act I. The pagan festival began with a sacrifice to honor, what scholars believe, the she-wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus or the god Fanus. Once the sacrifice was concluded, women were whipped with the skin and blood to promote fertility throughout the year.

Glad we don’t have that tradition anymore. ;)

But in the 5th Century, in an effort to Christianize the pagan holiday, Pope Gelasius declared Feburary 14 as St. Valentine’s Day. There were reportedly several "St. Valentine's," incluidng Pope Gelasius, who was a defiant Roman priest under Emperor Claudius II.

Claudius was an ambitious ruler whose vast armies took away men from their homes for long periods of time. In order to keep their homesickness and pining love under control, he banned marriages. Pope Gelasius thought the rule harsh and defied Claudius by marrying young lovers in secret. When Claudius discovered his betrayal, Gelasius was arrested and scheduled to be executed. The young couples the priest had married came to visit him in the prison, giving him flowers and cards as a token of their appreciation. It was said Galesius fell in love with his jailers' daughter and, on the date of his execution which was February 14, he left her a note and signed it, "from your Valentine."

Hence, our Valentine tradition of signing "from your Valentine" was born. Our modern Valentine’s now, of course, is full of cards, flowers and chocolates instead of jail and execution and is one of the most popular holidays on the calendar.

In my latest book, Phoenix Fire, Cassius and Elena are Valentine’s. They're both salves of the Empire. She's a gladiatrix where every day in the arena could be her last. He's an assassin hired to murder the Emperor, though Elena doesn’t know it. He manages to coerce her into helping and the two strikes a dangerous alliance. Their alliance leads to love affair. One the Emperor discovers. So for their betrayal, he demands one last entertainment—to be pitted against each other in a fight to the death.

While my world is based on Ancient Rome, it has fantasy elements including centaurs and nymphs. I wanted to give it that ancient feel, but I also wanted to create a world where the fantastic walked through the streets, where a woman could be one of the best gladiators in the arena and where men didn’t necessary save the day. Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Available at:

Amazon
All Romance eBooks

Michelle Miles writes paranormal, fantasy and contemporary romance. For more information about her and her books, visit her website at http://www.michellemiles.net.