Happy St. Valentine’s Day!!
Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I think it’s the whole idea of love and romance and chocolate. I mean, honestly, what’s not to like about it?!? Though I must say, it’s a bit different in the spirit world – asking someone else to “Be Mine” as a ghost is a little odd. I think part of the reason I’ve always loved it, is that I’ve been friends with St. Valentine himself for centuries now. Val is one heckuva decent guy, despite a lot of confusion about him.
Historians argue over the true origins of Valentine’s Day, and there are no less than eleven saints all named Valentine in the Catholic Church! But the main guy, my Val, was a bishop imprisoned in the home of a noble in Rome for performing secret weddings for lovers against the wishes of the authorities. During his time behind bars, he healed his captor’s daughter of her blindness. He was then tortured and decapitated after that miraculous act converted the entire household to Christianity. Nice way to say ‘thank you’, huh?? Before his untimely fate, he sent a note to the captor’s daughter signed, ‘Your Valentine’. 🥰
Although Val met with a grisly end, his feast is celebrated all over the world – even in Scotland – in much more romantic ways (less decapitation and more declarations of love!) on February 14, which is the date he died. The roots of Valentine’s Day in Scotland go deeper into ancient times, influenced by Celtic traditions. The day originally stemmed from the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a celebration of fertility that took place in mid-February. By my time, it was merged with Christiany, becoming a day devoted to love. Oh sure, there’s the usual cards and poems and flowers and candy – the Scottish poet Robert Burns’ A Red, Red Rose is still one of the most quoted pieces of Scottish Valentine’s poetry. But it being Scotland, I’m sure no one is surprised that we have our fair share of unique customs for the holiday. Back in my day, we did a “saining” ritual (no, not sainting!) which involved blessing our home and loved ones to ward off evil spirits, ensuring love and good fortune for the year ahead. Not sure I can say that really worked, but it didn’t hurt either! We also used to do a Valentine’s Day ballot – young people draw names from a hat to determine their Valentine for the year – which often led to matchmaking opportunities. Talk about an election with consequences! My uncle got married this way – and sadly, two cousins once drew each other’s names and were wed later that year! It being the Middle Ages – rules were rules and cousins were not off limits. Valentine’s Day is still celebrated much the same today – the ballot has been turned into a party game, and often, if you’re single, the first person you encounter on the street on February 14 becomes your Valentine, and the day is celebrated with them. That can make for a very fun custom, or a very lousy date – so you need to be careful who you lock eyes with in Edinburgh tomorrow!.
Luckily, our SMOS school kids will just be sticking to the more traditional aspects of the holiday – and loading up on candy Valentines of fun dip and fruit snacks! But if they inquire about using their Valentine box for voting instead, you’ve been forewarned – just ask my cousins, sometimes it’s best to keep your head down and your name off the ballot!
— Maggie