Valentinus
"Did you know that St. Valentine was stoned to death?," my brother asked me a few nights ago. "Really?" I was marveled at the thought. It's funny how (majority of) people celebrate something without knowing what's behind it. I had been celebrating Valentine's Day since I can remember though I didn't know why it's being celebrated; all I know was that it's related to love. And who is this St. Valentine anyway? Out of curiosity, I grabbed my phone, opened Safari and googled Saint Valentine.
Turns out not one but two martyrs were named Valentine: Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. Both were priests and both are honored on the 14th day of February. Although there are still uncertainties and inconsistencies on identifying which of these two martyrs Valentine's Day was named after, the day's connection with romantic love makes many hagiographers come into conclusion that it is Valentine of Rome, a Roman priest martyred during the regime of Claudius II (a.k.a. Cladius Gothicus). To cut the long story short, Valentinus (that's what he's originally called) facilitated marriage to people in secret because A.) Claudius II persecuted the Christian church at that time and B.) prohibited marriage between young people upon the belief that married men don't make good soldiers. Valentinus was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured; he was sentenced to a three-part execution inclusive of beating, stoning and finally decapitation. Apparently, a romantic holiday was not named after St. Valentine for nothing.
However, the celebration of St. Valentine wasn't widely related to romantic and courtly love until the 14th century when Geoffrey Chaucer (a.k.a. The Father of English Literature) wrote the poem Parlement of Foules.
So much for the V'Day history. Now that I got no date - a romantic date, at least - this Valentine's, I'll just be happy to spend the day with my first love: fashion! Valentine's Day is for all kinds of love after all. Speaking of which, I compiled 14 looks fresh from Fall/Winter 2014-15 runways that totally have "VALENTINES" written all over them to inspire us all. Happy Valentine's!
Photos courtesy of Style.com
And here's my Valentine's outfit! I ditched the red tradition and stuck to hearts and pinks.
Candies dress / Mario D'boro shoes / belt from ebay
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