festival | Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

Bibliophile’s Collective Tuesday – The True Origins of Valentine’s Day

February 15, 2022
mandyevebarnett

We are all more than familiar with the modern Valentine’s Day and it’s commercialism, but do you know the various origins of the day?

The first celebration was actually a Roman festival called Lupercalia that welcomed spring. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain. Certainly, something, I think we are all glad did not continue!

The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D.

Pope Gelasius Ist muddled things in the 5th century by combining St. Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals. Also around the same time, the Normans celebrated Galatin’s Day. Galatin meant “lover of women.”

A drawing depicts the death of St. Valentine.

William Shakespeare and Chaucer helped romanticize Valentine’s Day in their works, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the tokens-du-jour in the Middle Ages.

Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. And in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass producing valentines. February has not been the same since.

So, not the fluffy begins we may all think of the day of love.

Please celebrate the week with a great romance all available on the online purchase site of your choice.

Upcoming Writing Events- Add Yours for your Location…

February 27, 2017
mandyevebarnett

events

There are no writing events on my calendar for this week sadly, so it will be plunging into freelance work and beta-reading instead.The ghost writing project is developing nicely and I also have a thriller manuscript and a memoir to read. Both authors are friends and members of my writing circle, it is an honor to assist them.

Unfortunately, I did not make the reading on Saturday night -On the Keemooch – as I developed a nasty flu just days prior making talking almost impossible let alone reading an erotic segment from my novel, The Twesome Loop. I am so disappointed as I had reworked the piece quite a lot.

What writing/reading plans do you have this week?

writing

WGA Book Club Discussion + Wine/Beer Literary Pairings
With Samantha Warwick in acknowledgement of Freedom to Read Week
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Shelf Life Books, 1302 – 4th Street SW

Calgary, AB

Mission Writers and Readers Festival

http://www.lifetimelearningcentre.org/events-by-type/writers-and-readers-festival/10th-annual-mission-writers-readers-festival/

Date: Saturday, March 4, 2017
Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 p.m.
Location: UFV Mission Campus, Heritage Park Centre
33700 Prentis Avenue, Mission BC V2V 7B1

Add your local writing or reading events below.

Show the Love Every Day Not Just Valentines…

February 14, 2014
mandyevebarnett

Let’s show the love today and remember not only those nearest and dearest but also that this is the Year of Reading Women. Grab a novel from your favorite female author.

http://publishingperspectives.com/2014/01/is-2014-the-year-of-reading-women/

Although, historians are not positive on the exact origins of Valentine’s Day, the Catholic church did honor the martyrdom of St. Valentine. He was jailed for performing marriages in spite of a ban made by Claudius, the Roman Emperor. Two men called Valentine were executed on 14th February in different years of 3rd century A.D.

There is also evidence that in Roman times, men would literally hit on women during the feast of Lupercalia, celebrated from 13th to 15th February. A goat or dog would be sacrificed and then the hides were used to whip the women. The women believed this practice would make them fertile. At the same time young men would draw names of women out of a jar and couple with them for the duration of the festival, some would last longer depending on the love match. In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius, combined St. Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia in an attempt to expel the pagan ritual. To add more confusion the Norman’s celebrated Galatin’s Day. The name Galatin means ‘lover of women’ and thus was muddled into the ‘loving day’ too.

William Shakespeare and Chaucer further romanticized the festival in their writing. Hand-made paper cards became love tokens – du-jour – in the Middle Ages and so began the multi-million industry for cards, flowers and chocolates.

For good measure – Sonnet 18:

Today’s prompt should, of course, have a love theme.

Choose one line from Sonnet 18 and create your own love poem from it. Feel free to share.

Little and Large Disasters…

July 21, 2013
mandyevebarnett

Deleterious – definition: harmful : destructive

While manning our tables at Arts in the Plaza yesterday, I was pondering what to write about for this post when two widely differing situations occured.

The first was our display table nearly collapsing with a strong gust of wind. As the frame is a sturdy metal one, my friends and I were shocked that it could be damaged so easily. As the table in question was piled with books, we all leapt up to save the inevitable disaster. Under closer inspection we found that the bolt supporting the bracket was not as it appeared. There was actually no bolt just a nut on the bracket, which was glued to the table leg. What on earth? There is no way this method of construction is going to last. Do all engineered products have a ‘fail’ mechanism built into them? As you can imagine we were relieved that the novels from Dream Write Publishing were not damaged and that my fellow members of The Writers Foundation of Strathcona County were quick on their feet.

The second situation to come to my notice was a much more serious one. An out of control fire is spreading across land near Palm Springs. My immediate thought was for friends I have that live in the town. A quick email gave me reassurances that they were fine for the moment but that ash was falling over their home. I sincerely hope the fire can be controlled and that there is no lost of life.

Seasonal Clash…

December 12, 2012
mandyevebarnett

My recent escape from the Albertan cold to the heat of Palm Springs was a real delight in many ways. Of course the first pleasure was to experience summer warmth again, after weeks of freezing temperatures and snow fall. It amazed me how quickly a person can become accustomed to a black and white world. The brilliance of lush greenery was a real shock to my senses, making me consider how little time had really past since I had enjoyed summer and its abundance. Is the cycle of seasons so ingrained our seasonal memory can be replaced so quickly?

In no time I was back to ‘summer’ mode, lying poolside, walking in T-shirt & shorts and drinking cooling drinks. Hiking along the canyon listening to the burbling water, I wanted to splash through it to ease my over heated skin, far removed from the news from home of heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures.

The most jarring spectacle was seeing Christmas decorations emblazoned on palm trees and their shimmering light bouncing off lawns glistening with water. Homes were festooned with white and coloured lights, Christmas trees stood in living room windows but their reflections came from swimming pools and green lawns. It just didn’t ‘feel’ like Christmas, somehow it wasn’t right.

I soon became accustomed to the sound of automated irrigation sprays the means by which, this oasis of green maintains its lushness, albeit ‘fake’. It is only a short drive before the arid and seemingly barren landscape is found surrounding the city. However, if you walk slowly and quietly you will find treasurers, such as tiny lizards, multi-coloured butterflies and iridescent humming-birds populating the sharp twisted bushes and cacti. There is beauty in any landscape you just have to look.

On my return to Alberta I experienced +20 degrees on take-off and -20 degrees on arrival after a short three hour flight – now that’s an unwelcome shock to the system! Obviously at that moment I longed for the heat but for a proper Christmas, home does have the snowy wonderland look as well as some awesome winter visitors.

Do you prefer the winter wonderland or the tropical escape for your festival?