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 Valentine’s Day—Historical Background
Can you possibly overlook the deluge of love-drenched feelings, the slushy outbreak of ‘being in love’ and the pervasion of the color red all around when the calendar turns to the month of February ? No. None of us can ! For, the one thing that’s inextricably linked to the month of February is Valentine’s Day—the most coveted celebration after Christmas and a day kept aside to let love rule everywhere. Come what may, the hype and hoopla surrounding Valentine’s Day never goes unnoticed, no matter which part of the world you are placed !
Celebrated famously on February 14 every year, Valentine’s Day has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. The latter was an annual feasting and celebration by the Romans to keep fearful wolves at bay from damaging their crops. Lupercalia was celebrated on February 15 with the young men striking the women because it was believed that these blows would make them more fertile. This association of Lupercalia with fertility is probably one reason why Valentine’s Day is linked to this ancient Roman festival. Also, on the eve of Lupercalia, that is on February 14, it was quite popular for young women to find their partners for the festival. The romantic roots of Valentine’s Day can even be traced to this practice.
Another origin of the Valentine’s Day lies in the stories of the two saints (of the same name Valentine) belonging to the early Christian church. One story holds that when the Roman Emperor Claudius II forbade young men to marry to make better soldiers out of single men, a priest named Valentine defied the orders and secretly married young couples. Consequently he was beheaded on February 14 for his ‘crime’. And ever since, February 14 came to be celebrated as Valentine’s Day commemorating this great patron of people in love worldwide. The other story talks of another Valentine who was a children’s favorite but was despised by the Romans for his religious defiances. The Romans had him behind the bars but the children still managed to send fond messages to their favorite Valentine. The current custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine’s Day might have roots to this age-old tale.
Finally Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day ! |
