By Tina L. Kerrigan MS, RD
|
It’s February and the manufacturers of chocolate are eagerly preparing for the copius amounts of candy that will be sold for Valentine’s Day. What’s the connection between chocolate and Valentine’s Day? For that matter, why Valentine’s Day in the first place? Valentine’s Day, as do most of the holidays we celebrate, has its roots in antiquity. The ancient Romans honored the goddess Juno, queen of all the gods and goddesses on February 14th. On the 15th, the festival of Lupercalia began. During Lupercalia, the names of girls were written on slips of paper and placed in a jar. Boys would draw names, and for the duration of the festival they would partner. During the third century AD, under the reign of Emperor Claudius II, Roman soldiers were forbidden to marry because the Emperor believed that married men were poor fighters. Valentine, a priest in Rome (pre-Sainthood), was imprisoned for either performing marriages or helping Christians escape persecution (the stories vary). As the legend has it, just before his execution, he sent the daughter of one of his jailers a farewell note signed, “ From your Valentine.” As time went on, the Roman Empire became Christian, Valentine became a saint, and the festival of Lupercalia, shortened to February 14th, was designated, in 469 AD as Saint Valentine’s Day in the Christian calendar. On this day love messages and simple gifts were exchanged. The tradition and underlying emphasis on boys and girls getting together remained and was spread throughout the Roman Empire. Our modern celebration of Valentine’s Day goes back to the middle ages in France and England. The lottery system gradually disappeared and the emphasis shifted from a gift exchange to gift giving being the responsibility of the male. Elaborate manufactured Valentine’s Day cards became popular in Victorian times. They were usually hand delivered however due to the high cost of postage. With the advent of the penny postcard in the mid 1800’s, the modern custom of sending cards really took off. |
OK, now that we know about Valentine’s Day, how did chocolate become the gift of choice? Well, it’s that boys and girls getting together thing again. Chocolate, dare we say it, has a long reputation for stimulating the libido. The ancient Mayans and Aztecs believed that chocolate had mystical and aphrodisiac qualities. Montezuma was said to drink fifty goblets per day of the brew. Cortez and the Spanish Conquistadors introduced chocolate to Europe along with its reputation. The famous Casanova was also said to consume it in prodigious quantities. My research revealed what I believe to be the essential link in making the connection between Valentine’s Day and chocolate. Somewhere around 1870 Richard Cadbury marketed the first heart shaped red box packed with chocolate candies. It was an immediate success and, as they say, the rest is history. Of course, now you are wondering, is it true about chocolate? Like so many questions, the answer is, yes and no. Chocolate is a very complex substance that even today we do not fully understand. It contains Phenylethyl-amine and Sertonin, both of which are mood enhancers found naturally in our brains and are released, studies show, when we are happy and emotional. They raise blood pressure and heart rate and induce feelings of well being and euphoria. Eating chocolate, by introducing more of these compounds, has the same affect. This is probably why chocolate has earned its reputation as an aphrodisiac. Montezuma and Casanova may have had the wrong idea however. Recent research indicates that women have a greater response to Phenylethylamine and Serotonin than men do. Maybe it is better to give than to receive. By the way, domestic animals, especially dogs, are very susceptible to theobromine (another trace element in chocolate) poisoning. Don’t be tempted to give your pet a treat. Happy Valentine’s Day. Tina Kerrigan is the owner of Corner Office Healthcare Consultants of San Dimas. For questions, comments, or ideas for future columns, she can be reached at fiberqueen@ earthlink.net. |