The Ramblings of my Disorganised Mind

So Valentine's Day is on the way

Interesting.

Actually, I find the whole concept fascinating (coming from someone who's never really bothered with it, officially speaking). One holiday that in some cases, can make or break a relationship (which, if it can be broken by one day, is probably in trouble anyhow).... which probably explains why I've never bothered with it. Too much angst just getting the then-hubby to remember my birthday, without dragging the whole extra commercial flowers-and-chokky day into it as well. Actually, the cynical part of me is saying dryly that it's probably because I've never received a Valentine, but that's actually not true, now that I think about it. I did receive an important one in the year before I was married. I kept it, but unfortunately my ex found it and destroyed it early on. And never gave me one himself. Figures.

But I find it extremely interesting when you consider the origins of the holiday. And no, I don't mean the whole St Valentine secret lovers thing, or, for that matter, some of the other pagan holidays ascribed to the day (such as the one to Aphrodite, which became the purification of the Virgin when Catholicised later), but the Roman festival of Lupercalia.

"Luper", of course, refers to "wolf" (something rather ironic when you consider my lone wolf theory... among other things), and it was a festival ascribed to the wolf-mother that supposedly suckled Romulus and Remus (which would explain later references to the goddess festivals), and was a fertility festival (of course), also ascribed to Juno (Roman Queen of Heaven, so to speak). I rather like that: at least the intention of the original festival stayed basically the same (after all, don't young lovers simply continue the fertility rites associated with Lupercalia?), unlike, say, Easter, which was also a spring orgiastic festival.

Actually Jessica Galbreth at Enchanted Art has a lovely piece which I reckon says more about Valentine's day than the hearts and flowers we use to symbolise it today:



When I was about 14, we were given an assignment to write a "love" story around Val's day (most of the guys in the class were really thrilled with THAT). I ended up writing a story about 2 people who liked each otehr but couldn't tell (as you do) and who both decided to dedicate songs to each other on the radio on val's day. Of course, both of them thought the dedications came from completely different people, but there was a happy ending, eventually, because they kept sending songs until they both twigged that the songs lined up with when they saw each other. The story was pretty bad, and had some major logic flaws, not to mention a bunch of lyrics of then-well-known songs (something a story wouldn't get away with today!), but I was just 14, and I got an A+, so I can make allowances.

I've always liked that idea.... secret songs. I still enjoy the concept, may one day write a story that uses that idea again. I doubt I could do much better than I did at 14 though hehehe!

Anyway... to the weekend.

Last Clarion weekend, at least... the last weekend within Clarion. Next weekend is moving student out weekend, so it doesn't count. Scott Westerfeld is the week 6 tutor, and I think he'll be good for them, gradually bringing the students back to the "real world".

The weekend was also the first Vision meeting, and therefore also the AGM. Somehow, I ended up being elected the Treasurer/Secretary, mostly due to a lack of other contenders and the fact I didn't say "no" strongly enough *grin*.

Better go. Car repairs today. Sigh.

posted by Heather @ 8:01 am