2C UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
valentine's day gift guide
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2006
How can I say I love you? Let me count the ways... hmmm... I can only think of three- te amo, je t'aime and I love you. Perhaps you're like me and completely dense when it comes to Valentine's Day romance. If you are, I hope the next few pages might change you from Donald John to Don Juan. Garcia is a Lenexa senior in journalism.
Photo Illustrations by Rachel Seymour Page Design by Erin Baker
ESTUARDO GARCIA
SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR
LGARCIA@KANSAN.COM
Singles' Holiday
This holiday isn't just celebrated by couples anymore. page 4.
Opinion
Andrew Glendening has what you need to know to get some on V-Day. page 5.
On a Budget
What to do when you want to impress your date on a dime. page 6.
Wine Guide
Read to know how to choose a fine vintage and not sour grapes. page 10.
A brief history of the heart
How this holiday of love got its start
BY ASHLEY PATE
editor@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
When one thinks of Valentine's Day, the first thoughts that probably come to mind include flowers, chocolate, jewelry and Hallmark cards with elaborate poems professing love to one's significant other. None of these things, however, have to do with the history of the holiday
The history of Valentine's Day began in the third century when Claudius II came to power in the Roman Empire. According to historychannel.com, Claudius II "decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, and for this reason, he outlawed marriage for young men - his crop of potential soldiers." A priest named Valentine disagreed with the Emperor. He secretly married Christian couples, but was later jailed for breaking the law. Historychannel.com cites one legend where Valentine
met a young girl while jailed, perhaps the jailer's daughter, with whom he fell in love with. Catholic.org says, "[Valentine] was condemned to death when he tried to convert the Emperor." Before he died, however the Web site states, "it is alleged that he wrote [the young girl] a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine.'"
In A.D.296 he was beaten and stoned before eventually being beheaded.
According to Catholic.org, Valentine became the patron saint of affianced couples, beekeepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travelers, and young people. In A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius "marked Feb. 14 as a celebration in honor of [St. Valentine's] martyrdom," according to the Web site.
One of the oldest existing valentines is a poem written from a husband to his wife in 1415. Charles, Duke of Orleans from France, was captured at the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundreds Years' War and imprisoned, but still wrote a poem to his wife. That history of that poem is published in Chris Fletcher's 1000 Years of Literature.
MELTIN POT • EARNEST SEWN • DIESEL • ANTIK DENIM