No-one knows the exact origins of Valentine’s Day. There are
suggestions it began in ancient Rome with the feast of Lupercalia, which
occurred annually in mid-February. This feast involved naked
drunken men sacrificing goats and whacking single women with the hides. After the
whacking, the men randomly drew the names of single women from a jar and were ‘coupled’
with them.
Totes romantic.
Move forward to the 3rd century AD. Legend states
that marriage had been outlawed by the Roman Emperor as it was not good for war
– married men preferred to stay home with their wives rather than go out and fight.
A Christian priest by the name of Valentine said ‘f#@k the institution!’ and
married people in secret. On February 14th he was executed. 
According to most sources, Valentine’s Day is a culmination
of these two events – the Pagan ritualistic fertility feast, and the martyrdom
of Saint Valentine.
Over time Valentine’s Day has become a day of men showing women
their affections in the form of chocolate and roses, rather than slapping them with
dead animals. Retail outlets go all out with their advertising in an
attempt to guilt couples into spending their hard earned cash on crap they
don’t need, in attempt to show each other what they should already know. Even
the aisles of your local supermarket become adorned with heart shaped junk, chocolates
and roses. There’s no escape.
Valentine’s Day has become an over-commercialised joke. I say let’s go back to the Pagan parties; perhaps a modern adaption
without the nudity, dead animals, or pulling names out of jars. All we’re left
with is people and alcohol.
Valentine’s Day becomes a schooner with your mates…perfect.
