The history of Valentine's Day, usually celebrated on February 14th every year, is obscure and clouded by various fanciful legends. Although no one really knows the exact origins, there are a few fitting stories to help explain why Valentine's Day is a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and romance around the world today, even though it is not a public holiday in any country, How did Saint Valentine’s Day b egin? Some suggest that the holiday's roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, held annually on February 15th, which celebrated the coming of spring, including fertility rites and the pairing of woman with men by lottery. There may not have been much love and romance associated with the Lupercalia festival, but there was lots of alcohol, lust and sex. By the end of the 5 th century Rome had become Christian and the Catholic Church was determined to stamp out any remaining paganism. So, in 496, Pope Gelasius I abolished the pagan festival of Lupercalia and replaced it with a more sedate Christian feast day. He declared February 14th the Feast of Saint Valentine, to commemorate the death of a Christian Saint named Valentine, who came to be known as the patron saint of love. As time passed, The Feast of Saint Valentine became known simply as Valentine’s Day. It is interesting to note that in 1969, the Catholic Church revised its liturgical calendar, removing the feast days of saints whose historical origins were questionable. Saint Valentine was one of the casualties, but it hasn’t stopped us from celebrating Valentine’s Day today. How did Saint Valentine’s Day become associated with love and romance? There were three patrons named Saint Valentine who were martyred in ancient Rome. Most scholars believe that the Saint Valentine of the holiday was a priest who attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II around 270. According to legend, Claudius II had prohibited marriage for young men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers than those with wives and children. However, Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies until he was found out and jailed. Allegedly, while imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer, and before he was beheaded on February 14th, he sent her a letter signed "from your Valentine ” – a phrase widely adopted today. The first recorded association of Valentine with romantic love occurred more than a thousand years after the martyrs’ death. The connection began in the 14 th century, when the tradition of “ courtly love ” flourished, when broad, romantic statements of devotion, love and admiration — poems, songs, paintings — celebrated partnership, usually in secret. In 1382, the English author Geoffery Chaucer wrote the poem Parlement of Foules , to King Richard II for the anniversary of his engagement to Anne of Bohemia in 1382. He wrote: “ For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make . [For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.]”
Nature-minded English and European nobility embraced Chaucer’s idea of February mating and soon began sending hand written love notes, called valentines, during February’s bird-mating season. For example, the French Duke of Orléans, while imprisoned in the Tower of London, wrote to his wife in February 1415 that he was “already sick of love” (b y which he meant lovesick) and he called her his “very gentle Valentine.” Even William Shakespeare promoted the association of romantic love and valentines through his drama Hamlet when love-struck Ophelia spoke of herself as “ H amlet’s v alentine ” . The tradition of Valentine ’ s Day cards: By the end of the 15th century, the word “ valentine ” was being used to describe a lover in poems and songs of the day, and lovers of all social classes began to exchange handwritten valentines. These valentines were beautiful creations handmade by the sender and individually designed. They would usually contain sentimental verse, proclaiming the beauty of the receiver and how much they were loved. They were decorated with pictures of Cupid (the Roman god of love), hearts (traditionally the seat of emotion), birds (depicting the mating season), and flowers, usually red roses (the expression of romantic love) and trimmed with lace and ribbon. These images are still used today to symbolize love and are recognized all over the world. In Britain in 1797, a clever publisher issued a book, The Young Man’s Valentine Writer , a source of verses for young men who were unable to write up something on their own on valentines. Printers began publishing these verses with sketches, k nown as “mechanical valentines”, and for the first time, commercially printed cards were being used. By the 19th century, paper valentines were extremely popular, and improvements in printing technology allowed them to be mass produced in factories to keep up with demand. In the United States the first mass production of commercial valentine cards started in 1847 by Esther A. Howland. Valentine’ s Day celebrations today: Today, Valentine’s Day has become a booming commercial success. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates there are 190 million valentines sent each year, and when you include the popular tradition of trading valentines in school, that estimation jumps to 1 billion, second only to Christmas with 2.6 billion. It is also estimated that 15 million e-cards were sent in 2010. Sending only a Valentine card today also appears not to be enough for many, and the exchange quickly extended to include gifts of flowers, candy, chocolates, jewelry and more. The rest of course is history. While Valentine's Day is celebrated in most countries, different cultures have developed their own traditions. Romantic love is the most common celebration, but more frequently and sometimes traditionally, celebrations include children and other family members, friends, neighbors, co- workers, and anyone or anything else you love, appreciate, or admire. Valentine’s Day is truly whatever you want it to be. Celebrate it or not. There is no right or wrong. Here’s a look at some Valentine’s Day celebrations around the world: Argentina One day isn't enough to celebrate Valentine's Day in Argentina, land of Tango. Argentinians take a week to celebrate the occasion. They set aside seven days in July for “sweetness week.” From the 13th to the 20th, lovers and friends will exchange candies and kisses. This week typically ends with “Friendship Day”.
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