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Even before there were romance novels and the Romance Channel, there was the holiday of romance, Valentine’s Day.
The Dating Games of Ancient Rome
 Contrary to what many may believe, Valentine’s Day is not a made-up "greeting card" occasion. It actually is a real holiday whose origins stretch back to the root of the word romance, the days of Imperial Rome.
In Roman times, the goddess Juno was honored in an early spring festival. Juno was the deity young women prayed to when hoping for a marriage match. Pagan practices also provided a god for young men - Lupercus, who was also honored with a spring festival. A special feature of the Lupercan festival was its annual lottery in which young men drew the names of available young women. The girl they chose would be their partner for the festival, and often the arrangement led to marriage.
Just as the modern date for celebrating Christmas was co-opted from a Roman winter solstice ritual, modern Valentine’s Day was, in the Third Century A.D., a politically-correct replacement for the Romans’ romantic spring festivals.
Saint Valentine, legend has it, was a Catholic priest or bishop who performed secret marriages for young lovers, despite a decree from Roman emperor Claudius banning the institution of marriage. The priest lost his head for his trouble, but gained sainthood and February 14th comes down to us today as a celebration of both the saint and the romantic love he sanctified.
Modern Tokens of Love
Today, Valentine’s Day is observed mainly through the exchange of gifts. The custom ranges from puppy love cards given to kindergarten classmates to diamond earrings presented by husbands to their wives.
The most popular gifts by far, however, are candy, flowers and cards. Commercial Valentine’s cards are credited to an industrious nineteenth century lass, one Miss Esther Howland.
While certainly this Valentine’s Day will see it’s share of e-mail missives, one of the most interesting new ideas is the Valentine’s Day coupon. This can be a real gift certificate, say for a romantic dinner for two, or a homemade coupon from one lover to another, the possible redemptions of which we’ll leave up to the imagination.
Candy is another Valentine staple. While chocolates may tip the scales in these fitness conscious days, those little candy hearts are really cute and low-cal as well.
Of course red roses are the traditional flower of the day. But so ubiquitous have roses become that buyer beware, many retailers rack up the price of roses in the period surrounding Valentine’s Day. Increasingly, the flowers that many choose instead are ripe, red tulips.
Other gift ideas include CDs, stuffed animals, and of course, lingerie. But by far the most popular gift of Valentine’s Day is the gift of time spent together. A quiet evening, perhaps some candlelight, seems the perfect bridge between the days of modern romance and those of ancient Rome.
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