Clans on Broadway - Valentine's Connection to Ireland and Scotland

Valentine's Connection to Ireland and Scotland

There were 3 saints named Valentine- a Roman priest, a Bishop in Terni, and a third who died in Africa. Although debated, most believe that it is the Roman priest who is the Patron Saint of Love.

Emperor Claudius II cancelled all engagements, marriages and made Christianity a capital crime. Valentine, a Christian priest, continued to marry young couples. Valentine was captured, beaten, and beheaded on February 14th, 269 AD. Before his death, Valentine gave a note to his Jailer's blind daughter. She opened the note and her sight was restored. The note said "From your Valentine".

In 1835, Father Spratt of Dublin visited Rome and preached to the community. Pope Gregory XVI was so impressed that he exhumed the remains of St. Valentine and sent them with Spratt to Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin, where they remain today.

Although it is generally believed that the remains in Dublin are authentic, other places also claim to hold the remains of Valentine. Blessed St. John Duns Scotus in Glasgow, the Church of St. Praxedes in Rome, Roquemaure in France, and the Stephansdom in Vienna all hold relics, often just pieces or scrapings of bones. The Dublin remains are said to be several bones with some blood in a sealed container that has never been opened.

 

Here are a few interesting bits about how Valentines day has been celebrated in Scotland.

·        When sending valentines, the whole card would be filled with poem versus, romantic and funny. The card was never signed, as it was up to the receiver to guess who it was from.

·        In the middle ages, then men would pick ladies name from a ballot and then pin it to their shirt sleeve. The two would be partners for the day, and it sometimes lead to the marriage of the couple.

·        On February 14^th, 1565, Mary Queen of Scots met her future husband, Lord Darnley, for the first time. The couple married later that year in July.

 

Sincerely,

Rauncie Kinnaird

Clans Celts & Clover

Email: r.k@sasktel.net Phone: 306-382-4443 Website: http://www.clansceltsandclover.com and http:www.kinnairdbagpipes.com