Valentine’s Day did not begin with Hallmark, although it certainly seems to have ended with it. There is a collection of stories that helps to explain the origin of Valentine’s Day.

The first story is set in ancient Rome. For the Romans, Feb. 14 was a day set aside to honor Juno Februata, the queen of all of the Roman gods and goddesses. She was also considered the goddess of women and marriage. On Feb. 15, the Romans continued their honoring with the kickoff of The Feast of Lupercalia. The month of February took place during springtime on the Roman calendar and so this feast was considered a vernal festival.

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Passion and prevention is the message for this amorous month, as Feb. 13 kicks off the first annual National Condom Week.

For nearly a decade, Valentine’s Day has been recognized by the American Social Health Association (ASHA) as National Condom Day. Now, the day once dedicated to condom education and use has expanded into a full week.

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One can practically hear it from eons away — across the nation, the sound of cash drawers opening and closing on Valentine’s Day can be overwhelming.

Commercialization from the cheesy television ads, giant billboards and Internet pop-ups alone can crush anyone.

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Valentine’s Day is next week — a good time to think of who or what we love the most.

“Me.”

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The anxiety of creating the perfect Valentine’s Day for your mate or attempting to find a way to enjoy this holiday when you are single has turned the focus of Valentine’s Day from love and romance to apprehension, anxiety and financial insecurity.

However, this does not have to be the case. Milwaukee offers an overabundance of ideas and opportunities for both singles and couples, to make this the best Valentine’s Day yet.

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Where in Milwaukee can one eat a peanut-butter and banana (“Elvis”) sandwich, buy a Catholic art Jesus candle, play an old school Atari video game, and possibly meet one’s future spouse?

At Koppa’s Farwell Foods, which has all this and everything else one would find at a grocery store.

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When the Milwaukee Public Market opened in the Third Ward last October, the building was flooded with intrigued customers, and the crowds have not thinned since.

The market offers the city a unique and long overdue food experience. Wendy Baumann, the market’s project co-leader and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, likens it to a booming main street business district all under one roof.

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Spring is creeping around the corner, and for those of us attending school in the frozen tundra, that means we can stop dressing for warmth and start dressing for fashion.

Soon it will be time to push the Ugg boots and fur-trimmed vests far back into the closet and embrace the new spring trends.

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