Heart Pendant for Valentine's Day- The History
The 14th of February- women everywhere either dread the day or giddily await a token from their lover. Why? How did this day become the international day for love? Well, it began around 270 A.D. and there are actually a couple of legends involving St. Valentine. In one story, St. Valentine was persecuted for continuing to marry young couples after the Roman Emperor had banned soldiers from marrying so they wouldn't be distracted by families. In this story, St. Valentine died while imprisoned and it is believed he was buried on February 14. Another story claims that he may have sent the first ever Valentine while he was imprisoned for aiding Christians from Roman persecution. Supposedly, he fell in love with the daughter of one of his jailors. Before he died, he may have written the first valentine to her. In all of these stories, Valentine's death or burial occurred on or around February 14th.Another association with this day of love is the pagan festival the Lupercalia. This festival was meant to bring good fertile fields for the year as well as fertility to the young women. Each woman would place her name in a pot and a young man would draw a name. For the next year, the couple would be bonded and typically they would marry. They held this festival in February because on their calendar, that was the start of spring.
The day was officially declared Valentine's Day in 498 A.D. by Pope Gelasius. The earliest recorded evidence of a Valentine's Day card came from Charles, Duke of Orleans in 1415. He was captured during the Battle of Agincourt and was being held in the infamous Tower of London. He wrote the love letter to his wife from the Tower. It doesn't get much more romantic than that. Today, this valentine is held in the British Library.
Ruby Pendant: The Significance of Red
When people think of a ruby, a rich deep red color comes to mind. The association of the ruby with special occasions of love such as Valentine's Day is largely because of its color. Red has long been a symbol of love as well as fidelity and even fertility. Red is also closely associated with life and death because it's the color of blood. While there is negative symbolism attached to the color, there are very positive meanings that transcend cultures and time periods.Popular during ancient Roman times, it is still common for a bride to wear a red veil or other adornment in Greek as well as Chinese culture. The color red is also supposed to protect from evil and in ancient times, it was common for warriors of some cultures to paint their weapons red and in others, they would drink the blood of their slain enemies. Specific to a red ruby necklace it was believed to protect the wearer and make him undefeatable. The red rose is also a symbol of love, faith and fidelity in Greek mythology.
