Three Americans sitting in the bar of hotel Clittuno with their guide discussing a seventeen hour flight to fiji. Crossing the international date line they lost Valentines day and a card was ripped up.
“Three Americans sitting in the bar of hotel Clittuno with their guide discussing a seventeen hour flight to fiji. Crossing the international date line they lost Valentines day and a card was ripped up.”
When my friend flies she tries not think of how far up in the air the plane flies, how no one could survive, pushes down feelings of hysteria, has panic attack anyway, wants to open the door and jump, or flush the plane toilet and be sucked down. She weeps into her partner’s shoulder, believes her tight stomach muscles are holding up the plane.
On our Study Abroad Group’s ten hour flight to Frankfort: People immediately hook into electronics: the plane’s movie screen with private headphones, one’s own form of music whether IPhone, computer, IPad. Some dose, or take photos, others relieved when the flight attendants come around, one ever cheerful with a British accent, one surly German who scolds me for changing seats. He wants to make certain the vegetarian receives the vegetarian meal, says to me, “Never again!”
Josh, I love this idea of how crossing the international dateline can cause one to lose something, in this case, Valentines Day, so much so that the card was ripped up as if it must be delivered on that particular day to mean something. One suggestion (from one who is always exploring the intricacies of couples), I immediately thought of how poignant this idea could be in a poem draft about what a couple has lost, without realizing it, without noticing that something has passed them by. It also made me curious to explore the history of Valentine’s Day which has grown into such a Hallmark ripoff. It also brought back a memory of decorating lunch sacks in elementary school and hanging them on a line of string the teacher strung across one part of the classroom. Small hands dropping small envelopes in the sacks, hopeful that our special friend noticed the chosen valentine for them carried extra meaning, and the private recognition of whether one received or did not receive a valentine from that special person. The public contest was to count up the cards; see who garnered the most. Below is the info on Valentines. Thought it was particularly apropos to our current location in Italy, and thought there might be some rich details to mine from the legend which I was not familiar with prior to your entry…so thanks for that and the memories it brought up for me! Jo
The Legend of St. Valentine The history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.
Improv 1 - off student’s blog - Josh Ray- Week 2:
ReplyDelete“Three Americans sitting in the bar of hotel Clittuno with their guide discussing a seventeen hour flight to fiji. Crossing the international date line they lost Valentines day and a card was ripped up.”
When my friend flies she tries not think of how far up in the air the plane flies, how no one could survive, pushes down feelings of hysteria, has panic attack anyway, wants to open the door and jump, or flush the plane toilet and be sucked down. She weeps into her partner’s shoulder, believes her tight stomach muscles are holding up the plane.
On our Study Abroad Group’s ten hour flight to Frankfort: People immediately hook into electronics: the plane’s movie screen with private headphones, one’s own form of music whether IPhone, computer, IPad. Some dose, or take photos, others relieved when the flight attendants come around, one ever cheerful with a British accent, one surly German who scolds me for changing seats. He wants to make certain the vegetarian receives the vegetarian meal, says to me, “Never again!”
Josh,
I love this idea of how crossing the international dateline can cause one to lose something, in this case, Valentines Day, so much so that the card was ripped up as if it must be delivered on that particular day to mean something. One suggestion (from one who is always exploring the intricacies of couples), I immediately thought of how poignant this idea could be in a poem draft about what a couple has lost, without realizing it, without noticing that something has passed them by. It also made me curious to explore the history of Valentine’s Day which has grown into such a Hallmark ripoff. It also brought back a memory of decorating lunch sacks in elementary school and hanging them on a line of string the teacher strung across one part of the classroom. Small hands dropping small envelopes in the sacks, hopeful that our special friend noticed the chosen valentine for them carried extra meaning, and the private recognition of whether one received or did not receive a valentine from that special person. The public contest was to count up the cards; see who garnered the most. Below is the info on Valentines. Thought it was particularly apropos to our current location in Italy, and thought there might be some rich details to mine from the legend which I was not familiar with prior to your entry…so thanks for that and the memories it brought up for me! Jo
The Legend of St. Valentine
ReplyDeleteThe history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.