Over the years, Valentine’s Day has been a celebration to express adoration to your loved ones. Each year Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February. People show their affection with gifts like chocolates and flowers.
Valentine’s Day is a century-old tradition. Valentines portray the role of Cupid, the Roman God of Love. The day is also known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. With Valentine’s day at the corner, let us reminisce the story behind this celebration.
The Origin of the Holiday:
The true origin of Valentine’s Day is kind of ambiguous. However, many people think the holiday has a lineage with the Roman festival of Lupercalia. On the Roman Calendar Lupercalia, the natives celebrated the feast from February 13 to 15.
In this festivity, the men used to sacrifice a goat and a dog. Then lashed women with the leathers of that animals. The brutal gathering also included a matchmaking lottery. The young men would pull a name out of a jar. And the mentioned women would pair with the men.
Around the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I forbid the celebration of Lupercalia. Hereafter, replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day.
The Story of St. Valentine:
There are several conflicts about the tale of Valentine’s Day. The history goes way back. In the Catholic religion, Saint Valentine’s Day was a day for holding a banquet. It was to commemorate the martyred saint named Valentines. However, there were many saints with the same names causing a dispute. As a result, the day was removed from the Christian liturgical calendar in 1969.
Even though there is not enough data known about the real story, there are several tellings. According to some fable, St. Valentine defied the emperor’s order of converting to paganism. S a result martyred around 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus. However, before his death, he was able to heal the daughter of his jailer. The jailer then converted to Christianity along with his family.
On another telling, Saint Valentine was a Roman priest who used to spread love. He helped in holding weddings for soldiers. During that time, soldiers were forbidden to marry. Because according to the emperor, married soldiers cannot be good warriors. Saint Valentine wore a ring with a Cupid on which implies a symbol of love. He used to hand out paper hearts to remind Christians to love God.
Valentines Day Celebration over the Time:
Through the years, Valentine’s Day traditions have evolved a lot. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work. Consequently, it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. People initiated exchanging handmade cards representing their love. This tradition prevailed from the 5th to 15th centuries in Europe.
During the end of the 15th century, valentine was a symbol of love. Poets and lyricists used it to convey the devotion of a lover in their poems and songs. In the 18th century, a book named, The Young Man’s Valentine Writer was published in England. The industrial revolution guided factory-made cards in the 19th century. In 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo. began mass producing valentines.
Gradually, the tradition has made its way to the modern world. Some popular valentine’s day traditions include exchanging gifts such as roses or chocolates, and a romantic night out or dinner. School children often exchange valentine’s cards that may contain chocolate.
Over the years, Valentine’s Day has been a celebration to express affection to your loved ones with greetings and gifts. Traditional gifts include candy and flowers, particularly red roses, a symbol of beauty and love.
However, Valentine’s day is not only about spending time with your partners. Take it as an opportunity to spend some time with yourself. Indulge yourself with some skiing care, good god food, or the things you love. Also, don’t forget to express your love and appreciation for the close people in your life.
Hope you have a wonderful valentines day.