OUR VALENTINE GREETINGS...

SOME TRIVIA...

VALENTINE'S DAYS GOES BACK TO ANCIENT ROME

Valentine's day, like many holidays, is based on ancient rituals that have been changed to fit the christian tradition.

It is thought that the idea of a lover's holiday started with the Roman celebration honoring Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. February 14 was also the time of Lupercallia, a Roman celebration of spring and fertility.

By about A.D. 270, the church celebrated Valentine's Day in honor of St. Valentinus. Legends says that he died for love, but not his own. He was sentenced to death because he performed forbidden marriage ceremonies for soldiers. The day of the execution, he sent a note to a young daughter of his jailer --- a leaf with the pinpricked message. "From your Valentine."

The first known card was a note written in the 1400s, but it was not till the mid-1600s that cards were common. Men made cards with handwritten notes and elaborate decorations, but left them unsigned.

Printed cards were made by the 1800s; and best known in America were made by Esther A. Howland, who started her New England Valentine Co. in1849.

Times changed and Valentines went from lacy decorations of love to brightly colored cards to almost anything the maker can think of. For Kai and I, we have the digital camera, cyber-technology and patience for me to get the pose I want from him. I think we both did our best. There are moments that he will be distracted, but most of the time he will pose for me. The hardest part is to have him hold the cut-out heart corrugated cardboard with his face showing from the heart shaped hole. I just had to be quick to the "draw" of the shutter, or else it will end up just the top of his head or something else. Of course...he would like to preview every shot. He sat on my lap to look at the downloaded pictures in full view in the computer monitor. We sent the first batch to his "Mommie." After that his pictures was shared with other relatives and friends. So this Valentine's day we did our share of the Pagan celebration according to the Christian tradition..."HAPPY VALENTINE!"