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Accounts Vary On Valentine’s Day Origins

Valentine’s Day, February 14, sweethearts celebrate their love & affection for one another. The origin of Valentine’s Day has generated much speculation over the years. A few distinctive tales may paint the picture of early Valentine’s Day, & they have nothing to do with stuffed animals or romantic dinners.

Roman festival - One of the earliest records of the term Valentine’s Day is traced to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival. This annual event held on February 15 included animal sacrifices & priests called the Luperci who would take pieces of animal hide & touch it to the foreheads of women in the hopes it would make them more fertile. Fortunately for the squeamish (and the sacrificial animals), Pope Gelasius I ended Lupercalia & replaced it with St. Valentine’s Day by the end of the fifth century. Two or three St. Valentines? - Most people attribute the origins of Valentine’s Day to St. Valentine. But it seems that Valentine was the surname of a few different individuals. According to History.com, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. One Valentine was a priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, who decided that single men made better soldiers. Claudius outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine disagreed with the decree & would perform marriages in secret. Others believe it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop beheaded by Claudius II outside of Rome, who was the true namesake. Yet another Valentine may have been jailed & fell in love with a jailer’s daughter while in prison. He purportedly wrote to her, beginning the first Valentine card or letter tradition. Other stories say the imprisoned Valentine actually was writing to a blind woman he purportedly healed, & signed the note “from your Valentine.”

It is hard to know who is who in regard to the name Valentine, as the stories & the people behind them are used interchangeably. Some historians believe they actually are the same person rather than several Valentines, while others insist there were multiple martyred individuals. However you slice it, the defiant actions of one or more people named “Valentine” set the course for centuries of romance to follow.

Fun Ways For Seniors To Stay Active

Exercise can increase lean body mass, prevent diabetes & cardiovascular disease, improve balance, & positively affect mental health/cognition. Exercise can foster socialization, helping people overcome boredom & isolation. Explore these methods for staying active.

Explore offerings at The Keen Age Center - they offer an array of activities, some of which include physical activities. Games, dances, and other activities all serve as ways to get out & about while meeting fitness goals. Garden or do yard work - The Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotions says adults should get 150 minutes of moderate exercise/week. Raking leaves, mowing the lawn, digging in flower beds, trimming bushes, & other outdoor tasks could help a person meet this quota in a way that doesn’t seem like exercise at all. Play games with grandchildren - Kids may inspire older adults to be more active, as it can be difficult to keep up with those youngsters. Take kids for walks or push them in strollers. Attach a child seat or towing carriage to a bicycle & ride around the neighborhood or Belvidere Park. Play games that require movement, such as hide-andseek or Marco Polo in the pool. If it’s snowing, have a snowball fight or make a snowman in the yard. Take up a new hobby - Find hobbies that incorporate physical activity. Perhaps learning to salsa dance or taking Zumba™ would be fun? Pickleball has caught on across the nation. It’s a mix of tennis, racquetball & badminton. You can even play pickleball indoors at The Rivers Edge Rec Center. Physical activity is important at any age. Seniors can explore fun ways to stay in shape & be active to reap all the benefits of exercise.