Locals Embrace the "Simple Things" This Valentine's Day

By: Michelle Leach

Nearly 2,000 years ago, or so the story goes (and Encyclopedia Britannica tells us), a priest who helped Christians during the reign of Claudius II was beheaded. Before this priest became a martyr, he sent a letter to the jailer's daughter, whom he had fallen in love with during his imprisonment. It was signed: "Your Valentine."

From those romantic or downright depressing roots, depending on how you look at it, has sprung a holiday whereby men may feel more inclined to drop to one knee, and woman may be inundated by cards, flowers and chocolates.

The Zymola's are departing from Valentine's Day traditions and celebrating the holiday a little later than usual this year.

"We don't have any plans for Valentine's Day but the next weekend we're going to Chicago," said Paula Zymola.

"We're going to relax," Jeremiah Zymola added.

The belated celebration is sweetened for the Omaha natives by the fact that Paula works for Hyatt, which means the couple stays for free during their Windy City visit.

Carlos Medina indicated he could use a few freebies right now.

"My wallet's empty," he said, when asked what his plans were for Valentine's Day. "With everything, you've got to spend money."

Research indicates Carlos is not alone in his monetary woes about a holiday that is often referred to as being "manufactured" by Hallmark.

The card giant reports nearly 200 million cards are purchased for Valentine's Day. Roughly the same number of roses is produced for this most romantic of days.

For those who are concerned about spending money on roses and cards during a recession, www.theholidayspot.com offers lots of low-cost to no-cost tips, including creating a "lovespace" on MySpace dedicated to your sweetest, or making your loved one's favorite dessert.

Because this day of love's roots are so nebulous, according to AmericanCatholic.org, it is easy to see "why" the holiday has earned a commercially-driven moniker: "Hallmark holiday."

According to this Catholic publication, in 1969 the Church dropped St. Valentine's Day from its calendar of Catholic feasts celebrated worldwide. These celebrations are established as a way for followers to honor and emulate the saints these feasts are named after. But the Church, along with many individuals, was confused over the holiday's origins.

It is commonly believed that its origins go back much further than 270 A.D., when the priest with the famous name was beheaded.

In fact, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, there were several Christian martyrs before this priest that also bore the name "Valentine."

Even earlier, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia mid-month. It was an opportunity to rejoice in the coming of spring and all the elements associated with it, such as fertility.

One of the most eye-opening of rites, according to www.AmericanCatholic.org, was a lottery, whereby men would draw names of women who were to then be their "companions" for a year.

By the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I was none-too-pleased with the lottery practice. He put his own, more palatable twist on things by creating a lottery whereby men and women would draw names of saints whom they were to emulate for the year.

It would be another 11 centuries before the first formal messages of love were created and exchanged. It did not take long for the cards to be mass-produced, with the first commercial Valentines surfacing in the 1700s. The cards were popularized in the U.S. in the mid-1800s, and it was during this time that the winged Cupid began to grace these messages, along with birds -- believed to pick their mates in February, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Whatever its origins, Omahans Jessie and Jason (who asked that their last names not be used) have their own, personal Valentine's roots.

"We usually have a nice romantic dinner, just the two of us," Jason said.

But now there are "three" of them, and that's changing things.

"With a little one, we'll probably stay home and make dinner," Jessie said.

"We'll spend Valentine's Day as a family," Jason added.

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