I always believed Valentine’s Day was just a holiday created to make money off of people seeing as every department store begins to put up Valentine’s Day decorations and good the second Christmas is over, but after a little research I realized that it has a lot to do with Roman history and I was instantly intrigued.
The exact origins of the holiday seem to be quite a mystery. The Catholic Church recognized three different saints named Valentine. One of the legends says that Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. Apparently, the emperor of the time decided that single men were better soldiers than those who were married so he forbade young med from getting married. When Valentine realized this, he started to perform marriages in secret. He was eventually discovered and was sentenced to death.
Another legend says that Valentine was killed for helping Christians escape Roman prisons, in which prisoners were beaten and tortured. It is said that Valentine himself sent the first “Valentine” greeting while in prison to a young girl, apparently the jailor’s daughter, who visited him during his confinement. The greeting allegedly said “From your Valentine”, which is where the famous expression we use today originated from.
Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February to commemorate the death of Saint Valentine, but it is also believed that it was placed in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus, and to the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus (if you haven’t heard of the legend of Romulus and Remus you should look it up because it’s pretty cool). Lupercalia was eventually outlawed and February 14 officially became St. Valentine’s Day.
Here are some other fun facts about the holiday:
1. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the United States, as well as Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
2. An estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year.
3. 189 million roses are sold in the U.S. on Valentine’s Day.
4. In the 1800s doctors commonly advised their heartbroken patients to eat chocolate, claiming it would sooth their pain. To this day, many women find comfort in a box of chocolates when dealing with heartbreak.
5. The most fantastic gift of love is the Taj Mahal in India. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial of his wife!
Follow HCND on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
(Sources)