With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I started thinking about where this all started and where we will wander to on this immortal day of love. Many men would have you believe that Valentine’s Day means more to women and greeting card companies than it does to them. Then there are other men, who, for want of a better cliche, are in touch with their feminine side. They are the romantic men who remember Valentine’s Day in cute ways, like always buying heart-shaped jewelry, even the candy box variety……………or making heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast……….or literally catching your eye from across a crowded room and with a knowing wink they’ve just scored major brownie points when they get home.
Now, let’s get real – this all started with men. First there was Saint Valentine. Legend has it that Valentine was a priest in ancient Rome, under the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius banned engagements and marriages for Roman soldiers because he thought women distracted them. Fr. Valentine, on the other hand, defied the Emperor and secretly married young couples. Valentine was eventually arrested, imprisoned and executed. He was beheaded on February 14th but not before writing a farewell letter to his beloved, signed “From Your Valentine.”
Then it evolved into that chubby little man known as Cupid, the most famous of Valentine symbols. Cupid was the mischievous, winged child of Roman mythology. He was armed with a bow and arrows and would aim the arrows at people, causing them to fall deeply in love.
|
Cupid’s mother Venus was jealous of Psyche’s mortal beauty, and ordered Cupid to punish her. Instead, he fell deeply in love with her. Cupid and Psyche married despite protestations from his Roman mamma. There was a catch, however; Psyche could not look at Cupid and when she did, he vanished and she was forced to wander, searching for him until they were eventually reunited.
So, where will you wander this Valentine’s Day? Romance lives all over the globe, not just on this day for Cupid and his arrows. So how about a journey here or there to:
- Loveladies, NJ
- Lover, PA
- Lovett, Texas
- Romance, Arkansas
- Valentine, Arizona
- Valentine, NE
- Valentines Beach, NY
and lest you think this is just a holiday for visiting the United States, check out these international cities with a loving flair:
- Cupido, Brazil
- Heart’s Desire, Newfoundland, Canada
- Lover’s Leap, Jamaica
- La Valentine, France
- Valentine Plains, Australia
Finally, for those sitting on the fence about romance and love and Valentine’s Day……….how about a trip to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico?
I wish you your heart’s desire wherever you may roam……….and with whomever wins your heart.
