T H D
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PB:OT!ITIX
-.. .February . . . . a,. .l9lu ..• • -- -
• • • • • • • • • • VOLUME t •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ST. V.ALENTUIE 1 S DAY
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• • • • • • • • • • • • NUI.!BER · ~
Sinoe St. Valentino baa been o0lecteG aa a ~atron snint of Alpha
3tsma Alpha, the membership will 'b e intereateG in renning all that may be learne~ about him and tho festival aay thnt bears his name. It is to be recretued that there iR not very much kn0wn abont thio saint beyona
the fact that ile was a hol:_r prie~t of Rome in the third century after Christ anc1 that he snffered mart:rrdom on Pebrnary 14. Some chroniclers place the date in 270, still others in 306. La it ~as customary to keep hol~r the <1ayR on which martyrdom had been suffered. Febrnar:v 14 bocame one of the dates in the ca.lendar of the ocorly Ch't~roh. Its being set asi~e for the purpose nou conne~tea uith it in the thousht of everybody oamc about in much the fJ&me \:ay as d i r~ the plncinr: of Christ111o.s in December. -· There is much aoubt in the minds ;.; f historians concerning necembcr 2Gt!l beinG the birth{1a~· o:r m1rist, bece:ntse the hills of J · daea are t a o ool~ for :Clocks to S?enC: t '! w night in the O!,)en during Deca:1ber. But the Romans had a fer;tivel calleCl. the 3n~nrnf.'. l in that vm:1 cele1>ra.tec1 at the time o:r the winter solstice O...'Ylc". '.:hioh Wl'e a acr:son of jollification. So fnncinatinc did thi::J festival seer:1 to the ~,. :·, uth in the er~ rly Chrintian Church th.D. t it ct lled him a\7a:r from churcl ly devotL•ns, and inc.idonta.lly atra.y from his i'aith, so the Chnroh Futhers ve ry \li:1ely deciil.ed to mvo a joy festival of the i~ovm near the end of De oemher. It tms nmoh the srone oose \7ith Febrttary 14th. · For centuries the Romans hnd ~lebrated their tu~ercalia on February 15th. Lupercus vms an an()ient Italian diYinity, wc.rshippod by shellherds as tho proteotor of their flocks ago.::i.ns-t; woJ.vcs, T'he Romans sometimes 1dentif1eo h:f.m with +.ho Arcadian Y.~l. Th~ festival una colebratod at the Lupercal ~ a Grotto . in the J!alat::ne B.i11. Go a h .; were sacrificed ana two youths were a:rrayed in. tho skins. Vii tb t ·.nengs in the i1· hands they ran thro the stroets of. the t)ity , striJ.r.J..ug a~U. r:ersons whom they met. It was suppc.s~d to be very lucky t~ be touched ·~"'lith th~ thor..s. One gf tho pag!'.n c-ustoms of thai; clsy lr,ta~ t ~ ~ uhoose i·T.t:' a. yenr to oome some. pers(ln to whom honor wafJ to be pa!d. Eefi chose from ~"'1. urn a pieee of pap~r o.n which was written ·tha name cf. aomB woman. She became his t love t :!or a year. :en order. to put down such a d~nge"i:"0'\18 custom, the Churc-h instltntod 1=h~ pJan of d:rawins th~.:~ no.moa ,-o.f saints .to be venerated for a yea!' on :ast. Vulneti:n~:~'s Dn:y· . uh7.uh di:..... octly p ~:-eceii.ed that ef the· pagan l.bt-d:-awing~ thus subotituting h~ :1:venly fo:r earthly love. All the later cus-toms sprang frC'm thtHHl begL-rmi.l.1BB ~ Gossipy Samuel Pepyo men·tie•ns vario us ou.r'ions Va'lBm·t ins \lust oms prgval~nt in his i'J.ay. He spen1ts of the mottoas on daint:r oolore<l paper o.Dl~ · also o:~ the giving of jm:relr-:r b~r men of i7er.l ";1h. In many parts of England certain customs prevailed thut were very Aimilnr to thoac in voeue at ITallowe'en. Lov~rs aometimeq pinned f our bay leaves to the four corners of their pillows, ann then, if t he~r dreamed of their S\7eethern·ta, they se id they uould be mo.rried before the :;tec:.r wo.s out. o:r oou.ree, girls in those da ..m felt it to be n terribl e misfortune n ot to be somebody' o vnlentino, for thero 'l"!C'.9 1 i ttle ,llave marriage in a. r;irl 's future yec.rs aGo• It wcs a ver:r- r .c oent poe t , inGeec1, \-rho r-w.id, If o.ll th~ folks shoulr. nj? ana marry Long t!1o ~Ullennium would tarry.