Valentine's Day
The day of love or as we call it Valentine's Day is celebrated every year on February 14th and it is also known as Saint Valentine's Day or Feast of Saint Valentine.
February has also been known as the month of love and romance for centuries and on the 14th lovers exchange special gifts among themselves like roses, chocolates, or even jewelry.
Many people also take the opportunity of this day to declare their affection for their crushes, often disguised as secret admirers.
As it is not a federal holiday, businesses and schools hold normal working hours.
The Origin of Valentine's Day
The origin of Valentine's Day is founded in both history and legend as several theories contribute to the complicated narrative.
Popular beliefs have it that the celebration started in ancient Rome in the third century when a Roman priest named Valentine disagreed with the order of Emperor Claudius II that prohibited young men from marrying.
According to Claudius, single men made better soldiers and served more diligently. Valentine went against the emperor and performed marriages for young couples secretly. However, his actions were eventually discovered leading to his imprisonment and eventual execution on February 14th.
Another story believes that the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia was held in mid-February when Valentine's Day originated.
During Lupercalia, there were rituals performed to ward off evil spirits and promote fertility. As Christianity spread, the church sought to Christianize pagan festivals, and some suggest that Valentine's Day was established to coincide with Lupercalia.
The correlation between St. Valentine and love became popular in the Middle Ages when the idea of romantic love flourished in European literature. By the 14th century, Geoffrey Chaucer and other poets began to link Valentine's Day with love and courtship. The exchange of love notes and tokens became a popular tradition during this time.
Despite historical uncertainties, Valentine's Day has evolved into a widely celebrated occasion for expressing love and affection over the centuries. People all over the world are exchanging greeting cards, flowers, and gifts today to commemorate this day dedicated to matters of the heart.
The background of Valentine’s Day traditions
The exchange of Valentine’s Day cards with declarations of love goes back to the 1500s, with people making their handmade cards, often decorating them with ribbons and lace.
In the late 1700s, romantic cards started being commercialized, and they usually depicted the image of the god of love, Cupid, and hearts, images that still prevail on this day, as symbols of Valentine’s Day.
The Greeting Card Association estimates that in America, every year, around 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged.
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