About Valentines Day celebrations Origins, History, Traditions and Saint Valentine
The Legend of Saint Valentine:
Saint Valentine, according to some sources two distinct historical figures who were said to have healed a child while imprisoned.
Where did Valentine's Day come from? And the story of its patron saint, The Legend of Saint Valentine - is shrouded in mystery. We know that February has long been celebrated as the month of romance and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, has traces of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. But who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient tradition?
Valentine's Day Meaning: Day of romance and love.
Valentine's Day card, Cupid
A Victorian Valentine depicting Cupids.
Lupercalia survived the early rise of Christianity but was later banned—as it was deemed "un-Christian"—in the late 5th century, when Pope Gelasius proclaimed February 14 as St. Valentine's Day. After which, the day definitely became associated with love. In the Middle Ages, in France and England it was commonly believed that February 14 was the beginning of the mating season for birds, which added to the idea that Valentine's Day should be a day of romance. English poet Geoffrey Chaucer first recorded St. Valentine's Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem "Parliament of Fowls".
The Ancient Valentine was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife. After being captured at the Battle of Agincourt, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V commissioned a scribe named John Lydgate to compose a Valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
How is Cupid identified as a symbol of love?
Simple Valentine's Day Wishes and Gifts
In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century.
By the mid-18th century, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards had begun to replace written letters as printing technology improved. Ready-made cards were an easy way to express people's emotions at a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheap postage rates have also contributed to the growing popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings.
Americans probably started exchanging handmade valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the "Mother of the Valentine," created elaborate creations with real lace, ribbon, and colorful images known as "scraps." Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 145 million Valentine's Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (more cards are sent than Christmas).
Who was originally Saint Valentine?
The Catholic Church mentions at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One historian claims that Valentine was a priest who served in Rome in the third century. When Emperor Claudius II decided that unmarried men made better soldiers than wives and family members, he banned marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, disowned Claudius and arranged secret marriages for the young lovers. When Valentine's actions were revealed, Claudius ordered his execution. Still others insist that it was St. Valentine of Turney, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He was also beheaded outside Rome by Claudius II.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for trying to help Christians escape from harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to another historian, a captive Valentine actually first uttered the "Valentine" greeting when he fell in love with a young girl—perhaps his prison daughter—who visited him during his incarceration. Before his death, he allegedly wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine", an expression still used today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is unclear, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a compassionate, heroic and – most importantly – romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps because of this reputation, Valentine became one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Origin of Valentine's Day: Valentine's Day is a historical festival in February
While many believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in mid-February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial—which probably occurred around 270 AD—others claim that the Christian Church may have decided to keep St. Valentine's Feast Day. In an attempt to "Christianize" the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, Feb. Celebrated in February or February 15th, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Lupersi, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a wolf, or lupa. Religious scholars used to sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purification. Then they would tear off the skin of the goat, dip it in the blood of the sacrifice, and take to the streets, gently slapping both the women and the crops with the goatskin. Roman women welcomed the touch of leather as it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. According to more recent sources, all the young women of the town put their names in a large urn. The city's bachelors will each choose a name and pair up with his chosen lady for the year.
Celebrating Valentine's Day is prohibited in several countries:
The celebration of Valentine's Day has been banned in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia due to the festival's conflicting beliefs with Islamic culture.
Since 2009, some practices related to Valentine's Day (such as giving flowers, cards, or other gifts indicative of Valentine's Day) are prohibited in Iran. Iranian law enforcement prosecutes distributors of products with symbols associated with Valentine's Day.
In 2021, Iran's Qom Prosecutor's Office said that those who promote and provide anti-cultural symbols such as Valentine's Day will be prosecuted.
Although Valentine's Day is not accepted or approved by any institution in Iran and has no official status, it is highly recognized among a large part of the population.
Since 2000, Valentine's Day has become very popular among young boys and girls due to the free association of lovers and having sex outside of marriage.
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