NORTHERN LIGHTS, UKAHALA—Colonel Shy Guy hits RFCP with a lovely blog (wink wink) on a very special day. Learn about the history of Valentine’s Day and what RFCP is doing to celebrate.
Ahh yes, Valentine’s Day! A beautiful day (to some) to be alive. Aside from the fact that we’re in a pandemic and are required to stay 6 feet apart, we can still see our loved ones (virtually of course) and still send lots of affection!
But a common question may come to mind on this day: HOW did Valentine’s Day become a thing and WHY is it a day for celebrating love and loved ones?
Way back in 3rd century Rome, there was a priest named Valentine of Terni. He lived in the time of Emperor Claudius II. This emperor outlawed marriage in Rome because he thought romance would distract his soldiers from their devotion to national service. Valentine, a brave believer, would secretly officiate weddings against the Roman Emperor’s wishes, which eventually would lead to his imprisonment. While imprisoned, some say he fell in love with a young girl. He would often write her love letters signed “From Your Valentine,” which is one theory of how the tradition of sending Valentines came to be. Others say that Christian followers of his threw little gifts over the prison walls for him, giving origin to the exchange of small presents on this day.
Valentine was executed on February 14th, c. 270 CE, and was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church for giving his life for the sacrament of marriage. We celebrate his feast day on February 14th as a result.
Over time, Valentine’s Day became a commercialized holiday, straying far from its origins of being a saint’s Feast Day. A large number of modern traditions owe themselves to Shakespeare’s contributions. Throughout his romanticized writings, Shakespeare popularized the concept of sending Valentine’s Day cards and gifts to loved ones. While Valentine’s traditions have changed greatly over time, the concept of showing our love to those we care about has stood strong.
So how can we as an army celebrate this tradition? Well, last week Col. Microwaveable Hamster announced that soldiers and Officers can give out VIRTUAL VALENTINES to one another!
Upon clicking the link, you would be led to a Google Form where you could anonymously send a nice message to anyone in the server!!!!!!
You will be asked for the name of the person you would like to send your message to, the actual message itself (must be appropriate of course), whether you wish to remain anonymous or not, and if you have any special requests. If you choose to not include your name, your message will be sent anonymously by the RFCP Secret Cupids!
The RFCP Secret Cupids will use their special Valentine’s powers to make your message into a memorable gift that the recipient will treasure forever! They will be magically sent to the recipient on February 14th! I wasn’t supposed to reveal the finished product until Valentine’s Day, but I managed to steal a sample…shhh…
This is a wonderful way of celebrating this fine tradition, so I encourage all members of RFCP to write a Virtual Valentine to someone in the army to brighten their day! You all have until today to fill one out.
Happy St. Valentine’s Day.
With love,
What do YOU think about the Virtual Valentines? Are YOU looking forward to sending one to a special someone? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below!
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