Over the Edge, February 10-24, 2010 Page 3 The history of Valentine’s Day Shelby Petersen News Editor St. Valentine's Day is an annual holiday held each year on February 14th. The holiday is commonly used by intimate companions to express their love and affection for one another. Signs of affection are usually expressed through the exchange of gifts such as flowers and chocolate. The holiday gets its name from an early Christian mar- tyr named Valentine. However, Saint Valentine was not listed on the original list of Roman martyrs and it is thought that Saint Valentine is actually an ac- cumulation of several different people. ‘The feast of Saint Valentine was first declared in 496 by Pope Gelasius I who declared Valentine among those Right coronary artery “,;whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God.’ It wasn't until the time of Geoffrey Chaucer that the holiday be- came linked with romantic love when the tradition of courtly love flourished abundantly. Of course, none of that means any- thing today. The modern conception of Valentine's Day is clouded in consumerism as the guiding principle be- hind the holiday seems to have morphed into purchasing presents rather than expressing love. The most well know symbol of Valentine's Day however, is the mass produced greeting card or Valentine. The Valentine was first conceived of in 1797 when a British publisher issued The Young Mar’s Valentine Writer which listed several common phrases that young men could use in their correspondence with their lovers because they were simply too busy to think of anything them- selves. These phrases eventually caught on and were placed onto cards. During the next century postage rates went down and people began to more actively send these impersonal notes to one another. As is always common with fads, people try to profit from humanities laziness and by 1800 Valentine's were beginning to be assembled in factories and even had real lace and ribbon added on. Interestingly enough, it was the ano- nymity of the pre-printed card that allowed for more racy comments to Left coronary artery Anterior interventricular artery be added on to the cards in an otherwise prudish society. This was pos- sible because one individual could send a card to another without attach- ing a return address and there was no fear of being identified through handwriting. Approximately one billion Valentines are sent each year in the United States, second only to Christmas cards, Not surprisingly, men are aver- aged to spend almost twice as much as women during this holiday. How- ever, this is not the case in some countries around the planet with India and Pakistan discouraging the celebration of this holiday citing that it is “a cultural pollution from the west.’ In Saudi Arabia selling Valentine's day products has been forbidden across the nation even going so far as to ban the colour red on February 14th because it does not fit with the Islamic tradition. However, in 2008 a black market was created for the distribution of roses and wrapping paper proving that consumerism and absurd holidays are blind to reli- gious objection. Expecting? Valentine's Day usually brings gestures of love from people in rela- tionships, but men and women often have different expectations of one another. How do you give and receive what the other expects on this type of holiday? Flowers? Jewelry? Dinner? What makes the cut? Valentine's Day best means a day in which people acknowledge their love and connection to one another. It’s become, however, a commer- cial holiday. Now perhaps in a “true love” relationship, Valentine's Day is more important to share emotional feelings and acknowledgement rather than fretting the commercialized side of the holiday. Valentine's Day, I believe, should be a day of intimacy rather than gifts, I don’t think that it is fair that men are blamed for an unhappy holiday. The simple fact of Valentine's Day is this: women have huge expectations about it that they rarely feel are fulfilled and men resent it because, well, generally they're the ones who are accused of not fulfilling expectations, For those who are single, rather than be sad and sulking on a day revolving around love, love yourself. Buy roses and chocolate for yourself if that is what makes you happy. And being in an honest, “true love” rela- tionship you know what your partner wants or needs and whether your partner will do for you what you would like to receive. If it’s not in your partner's characteristics to deal with a holiday such as Valentine's Day, love yourself, and have a day for yourself. Or before a holiday such as this, sharing your attitudes, memories, expectations, and feelings about Valentines Day and what the holiday represents to both of you may avoid disappointment. Understand this foundation for realistic romance: central to every couple's Valentine's wishes is embracing the reality of what it takes to make a relationship work over the long haul. At any Valentine's Day, it is not how much loot we come up with but how we treat one another that will save our experiences on Feb, 14th, and our relationships. Respect cannot be bought, and it’s the same with friendship. Our ability to be kind, empathic, compassionate, and tender will determine the strength and durability of our relationship over time. Relationship success is inevitably linked to our knowledge of what we truly need from one another and each party having made peace with our own fantasy expectations. Enduring love does not solely lie in gift giving or in the lovey-dovey cooing and ogling between lovers. More often love is the result of the small things of everyday life. Local talent on display during Coldsnap Music Festival Three days of multiple local groups performing, by donation, at ArtSpace made for a great evening. I was lucky enough to make it Wednesday, Janu- ary 27th to check it out. Seven bands played four songs to round off a taste of new and old local tal- ent. Chris Camilli, John Rogers, Out of Alba, Shae Morin, The Lee-Wai Yu Band, Jeremy Stewart & Erin Arding, and The 3 Amigos made for another Coldsnap highlight. Starting the night off slow we heard stories of life and love sung by John Rogers and his band. Rogers thanked the audience for al- lowing him to express himself through music to us all, Out of Alba, a Celtic band featuring Scottish, Irish Welsh, French Canadian and East Coast Ca- nadian influences opens a new dimension of music. Out of Alba has been together for 16 years, with some members coming and going, currently con- sisting of Margaret Coyle ,Carolyn Kelly ,Jim Sayle, Alan O'Reilly, and Jim Coyle. These musicians put a Celtic twist on an arrangement of traditional melodies, Next up, Shae Morin, changed the atmosphere of the evening as he brought his talent through blunt lyrics. Making a statement, Morin mixed rap with a DJ and his turn table. The Lee-Wai Yu Band followed, a 5 man band including 7 instruments fulfilled many varieties of musical art. This indie band was complete with slide guitar and banjo, two of my personal favourite instruments of the night. This group made me want to pick a guitar and start strumming. Jeremy Stewart & Erin Arding came on stage next. This couple brought their musical talents together, Stuart on guitar and Arding as lead vocals. Arding takes after the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Joni Mitchell. As the night came to an end the final band, The 3 Amigos, kept the night rolling with funky last set. Overall it was a lot of fun and showed the promising talent within Prince George. These three nights of music at the Artspace were recorded live, as well as aired over CBC. Left - Local musician Jeremy Stewart per- forms. Top - Local musicians Jim Sayle and Margaret Coyle of Out of Alba perform.