TODAY - FEBRUARY 14

 

NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS

ON: FEBRUARY 14

New 2021 edition

TODAY’s LENGTH:

This day is here in Belgium 2 hours and 3 minutes longer than December 21. Its length is 10 hours – from 07.57 to 17.57.

See more – also in English – about where you are on www.dagenslaengde.dk

TODAY’s NAME:

Today’s name is very well known by most people – VALENTINE’s DAY.  But few are aware that at least three men have contributed to the name. They were all catholic priests and were killed because of their faith.

The first Valentinus lived in the 2nd century AC.  He was born around 100 AC in the area near the Nile delta and got his education in Alexandria. He became quickly a follower of the Christian Theudes, who had been one of the apotle Paul’s followers.  Later he founded a special Christian movement, the Gnosticians, which had great influence in the early Christian church for more than 600 years. It spread out through Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. I was based upon “mystical knowledge” and on “how Chritianity should have been”.  Valentinus moved to Rome and was offered to become bishop, but declined. The Catholic church after a while took distance to Valentinus, as he did not follow the official doctrines. Later he moved from Rome to Cyprus.

Here he ran into conflicts with the Roman authorities, as he cured  the blind daughter of a judge and made to whole family Christians. He was put into prison and beheaded in 160 AC.

The second Valentinus is perhaps a legend.  The roman emperor Claudius II ( 268-70 ) ordered his soldiers not to marry. Still the priest Valentinus continued to marry them. He was arrested and killed on February 14.   The Catholic church made him a saint in 496 AC under the name Saint Valentine.

The third Valentinus was bishop in Rhaetius ( present day Tirol in Austria ) and was beheaded around year 470 AC.

It is probably the second Valentinus who has given name to the Saint Valentine’s Day tradition, which started in the US.  Lovers Holiday, it is also called.  In the US alone more than 200 million Valentine postcards are sent on this day.

Some historians think that Valentine’s Day in reality comes from the Roman Lupercalia festival, which took place on February 15 and which should promote fertility.

Others say that it is exactly on February 14 that the birds start mating.

Everything comes together under the happy name VALENTINE’s DAY and its traditions.

 

TODAY’s EVENT:

1349:  2000 Jews are burnt in Strasbourg.  People believed that Jews brought the virus causing the “Black Death”.

 

TODAY’s QUESTION:

Better late than never – where does that come from? And what does it mean?

 

This is an English proverb. It is expressed with a degree of sarcasm, apparently saying something positive, but in fact noting somebody’s lateness.

The mediaval English author Geoffrey Chaucer put this proverb into print in The Yeoman’s Prologue and Tale, Canterbury Tales”, in 1386:

For bet than never is late  (Better than never is late).

The meaning today is that to arrive or do something later than expected isn’t good, but it is better than not at all.

 

QUESTION FOR TOMORROW:

The vessel of the Danaids – what’s the origin of that? And what does it mean today?

 

47 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ABOUT EUROPE:

Europe at Work:  www.europe-at-work.be

 

TODAY’s QUOTE & FAMOUS PEOPLE :

1.  Yesterday’s quote:

The most important thing for an artist is to be able to sneak under the skin of people.

            This is said by the Belgian author Georges Simenon.

2.  Today’s quote:

The butler is the solemn procession of the individual.

Who among today’s persons has said that?

3.  Famous people born on this day:

1913:   Jimmy Hoffa  ( died 1975 )

1942:   Michael Bloomberg

1946:   Gregory Hines  ( died 2003 )

1951:   Kevin Keegan

 

4.  Famous people died on this day:

1779:   James Cook   ( 51 years )  -  see photo below.

1975:   P.G. Wodehouse  ( 93 years )

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com  

www.simplesite.com/kimbrer   + EUROPE AT WORK   www.europe-at-work.be



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TODAY - November 29

  NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS ON: NOVEMBER 29 New edition TODAY’s LENGTH: This day is here in Belgium 8 hours and 7 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 8 hours and 22 minutes – from 08.20 to 16.42. Se more – also in English – about where you are on:   www.dagenslaengde.dk TODAY’s NAME: Today’s name is SATURNINUS’ DAY .   He was a missionary in Toulouse in the southwest of France. And later he became a bishop there.   In the year 250 AC the non-Christians decided to kill him. He was tied to the legs of a bull. And the bull was then pursued down the stairs from the local capitol.   Later a church named Notre-Dame-du-Tours was built on that spot. The day’s name in Belgium is SAINT RADBOD – after a Frisian king, who was also bishop in Utrecht in the Netherlands.   He was fighting with the Franconeans and defeated Karel Martel near Cologne.   He died in 719.   TODAY’s EVENT: 1814: The newspaper The Times in London star...
Read more

TODAY - FEBRUARY 8

Image
  NIELS’ MORNING GREETINGS ON: FEBRUARY 8 New 2021 edition TODAY’s PERSON: I have chosen the French author JULES VERNE .   He was born on this day in 1828 and died 77 years old in 1905.   He was and still is very well know for his many book about adventurous travels to many places.   His point of departure was the many new scientific discoveries in his lifetime.   Based upon them he tried to imagine how their use would develop in the future – what they could be used for.    For many he   considered to be the father of science fiction.   In his special way. Among his many famous books are the following: Five Weeks in a Balloon   ( in Africa ) Journey to the Centre of the Earth   ( taking place in Denmark and Iceland ) From the Earth to the Moon In Search of the Castaways / The Children of Captain Grant Twenty-Thousand Under the Sea: A Tour of the Underwater World Around the World in Eighty Days His books were ...
Read more

TODAY - July 12

NIELS’ SUMMER GREETINGS ON: JULY 12 New edition TODAY’s LENGTH: This day is here in Denmark 28 minutes shorter than June 21. Its length is 17 hours and 7 minutes – from 04.47 to 21.54. See more – also in English – about where you are on:   www.dagenslaengde.dk TODAY’s NAME: This day is called HEINRICH’s DAY .    It has its name after Holy Heinrich , who was German-Roman emperor in the years 1002-24. He created the diocese Bamberg and initiated the building of many churches and monasteries. In Belgium the day’s name is SAINT JEAN GUALBERT – after an Italian abbot, who lived in the years 985-1073.   He started the Vallumbrosa order. TODAY’s EVENT: 1920:   The Panama Canal is opened by US president Woodrow Wilson . TODAY’s QUESTION: Sandwich - what's the history of that word? And what is it? We all know what a sandwich is: two pieces of bread put on top of one another and with some nice stuff like meat, ...
Read more