New York: Valentine’s Day will be celebrated on February 14. It is the day when lovers express their love for each other through gifts and greetings.
Valentine’s Day is preceded with the Valentine’s week, wherein each day of the week leading to February 14 celebrates love.
While many couples celebrate this day of love, not many know the history and significance of Valentine’s Day. If you are one of them, then read on to know more about this special day of the year.
There are many stories behind the origin of Valentine’s Day, and here are a few. According to Britannica, Valentine’s Day has its origin in the Roman festival of Lupercalia which was held in mid-February. The festival celebrated the on-set of spring. In this festival, women were paired with men through lottery. It is believed that Pope Gelasius I replaced this festival with St. Valentine’s Day, and over a period of time from about the 14th century it was celebrated as a day of romance.
Other stories behind this day are based on a person named Valentine. Some people believe that the day is named after St. Valentine of Terni, who was a Bishop. While another story is that Valentine’s Day got its name from the priest Valentine. He once sent a letter to his jailer’s daughter whom he had befriended and signed the letter as “from your Valentine”. He was martyred at around the 270 CE by emperor Claudius II Gothicus. It is possible that the two people were the same, according to Britannica.
According to another popular legend, disobeying the king’s orders, St. Valentine secretly married off couples to save the husbands from war. And so, this day is associated with love.
By the 1500s people started sending formal messages to their loved one on this day, and by late 1700s cards which were been commercially printed were used to celebrate Valentine’s Day. In the United States, the first commercial Valentines were printed by the mid-1800, states Britannica.
It is noted that Valentine’s is popularly symbolised by the Roman God of love, Cupid, along with hearts which symbolise love. It was believed that mating season for birds started in mid-February and so they birds also symbolised this day. Also, chocolates and red roses became traditional gifts for one’s partner.
Why is Valentine’s Day celebrated on February 14th?
In general, early Christians often opted to celebrate holidays on days that coincide with existing festivals and celebrations (like Christmas and winter solstice), so they placed Valentine’s Day on February 14th, while Lupercalia was celebrated on February 15th.
