Date when love is in the air for everyone
THERE are many events and dates in the year that have been referred to as Hallmark Holidays but surely the sugar daddy of them all has to be Valentine’s Day.
Now, to be fair, it’s not a completely made up holiday as there is a St Valentine and his feast day was originally celebrated by Christians on February 14.
But who was this man and what is his connection to chocolate love hearts, rose petal and romantic rhymes written on a card from a secret admirer or in my case as a teenager my parents?
Well, what we do know is that he is a widely recognized third-century Roman saint commemorated on February 14 and, since the Middle Ages, has been associated with a tradition of courtly love.
In his mortal life he was a Roman priest martyred around 273 AD during the reign of Claudius Gothicus.
He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome – charming.
So how did the feast day of this humble Saint turn into the multi million pound industry known today as Valentine’s Day?
Well, apparently it wasn’t until the 18th Century that it became an occasion in which people expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards.
Fast forward a few hundred years to 2017 and you can barely turn a corner without seeing Valentine’s plastered on adverts, billboards and TV screens.
I even went into my local supermarket for some bread and milk and wandered up the wrong aisle only to be greeted with some men’s tight red boxer shorts with a flashing light on them which I can only assume is some sort of warning signal for the evening ahead.
I remember being at primary school and receiving my first Valentine’s Card filled with little poems like “Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you” and “Postie postie do not falter, this may lead me to the altar”.
IWAS left me dreaming about who could have possibly sent me the card as it had simply been signed with a question mark.
My money was on a Jason Donovan circa Neighbours 1988 type heartthrob but sadly I never got to meet my secret valentine so I’ll never know, but the excitement of just getting a card with my name on it was enough.
I’ve not really had that many Valentine cards throughout my adult life (I know, cue the tiny violins) and being a singleton on February 14 was always a joy as you can imagine.
In fact in recent years I had taken the Bridget Jones style approached and decided to instead choose vodka while belting out Celine Dion and Chaka Khan numbers.
Now that I’m a smug almost married woman I get to fully indulge in the slightly vomit inducing celebrations.
No matter if you are single or attached the true message of Valentine’s Day should just simply be love.
Love your friends, your family, your cat, your dog, your life and most importantly love you.
A life without love seems like no life at all so next Tuesday stop for a minute and think about the things in life you love the most and celebrate them all.
I personally might go on YouTube and search Jason Donovan aka Scott Ramsay just for old times’ sake.
IAM delighted to announce my original one woman show Michelle McManus’ Reality: The Musical will be performed at this years Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
It’s been four years since the show debuted and since then we’ve had the Reloaded and Pop Goes The Idol follow-ups.
So for those who missed the original five- star sell out run this is your chance to see the the show.
Get your tickets quick for The Stand Comedy Club Glasgow on Wednesday March 22 for an evening of comedy, stories and sing along numbers.
You can purchase tickets online http://www.glasgowcomedy festival.com/shows/1614.