Valentine's Day is a holiday of Love - traditions and history of the holiday. Valentine's Day - the history of the holiday A short story about love on February 14
February 14 – “Valentine’s Day” or “St. Valentine’s Day” is another false holiday. Over the past two decades, many new and unusual things have begun to appear in the CIS countries, which today have become firmly established in our daily lives. Not only different goods are coming to us from the West and the East, but also new traditions, terms, behavioral stereotypes and holidays. Among the latter is “Valentine’s Day” or “Valentine’s Day,” which is widely celebrated in the West and now in our country.
Who was the person with the name who is associated with the tradition of celebrating “Valentine’s Day”? In numerous publications appearing on the eve of February 14, you can read the following beautiful legend.
“The Christian religion was outlawed when the priest Valentine preached in Rome in the 3rd century. During the time of Emperor Claudius II (268-270), the war with the Goths began and the recruitment of young people into the army was announced. But those who were married did not want to leave their wives, and those who were in love did not want to leave their loved ones. In anger, Claudius banned marriage ceremonies, but Valentine disobeyed the order and continued to marry young people. This made Valentine the friend of all lovers in Rome, but infuriated the emperor. Valentine was captured, imprisoned and executed on February 14, 269. On the eve of his execution, he sent a letter to the daughter of the prison governor, who was his lover. In the letter, Valentin said goodbye to her, thanked her for everything and signed: “Your Valentin.” This is what started the Valentine's Day tradition."
At first glance, everything seems very plausible and historically verified. But in reality it is completely untenable. Firstly, because the sacrament of weddings was formed in the Church only in the Middle Ages, in the 3rd century such a ritual simply did not exist. This means that Valentin did not marry anyone.
Secondly, a priest cannot marry. A priest, if he has not married before his ordination, loses his canonical capacity to marry. Otherwise, he commits a great sin, for which he is punished by defrocking. Thus, for Valentin, if he were a priest, the appearance of a new lover would mean the fact of betrayal either to his wife or to his faith. Under such circumstances, such a person simply could not be glorified as a saint.
The earlier history of Valentine's Day dates back to the Lupercalia of Ancient Rome. Lupercalia is a fertility festival in honor of the goddess of “feverish” love Juno Februata and the god Faun (Luperc is one of his nicknames), the patron saint of herds, which was celebrated annually on February 15.
In the ancient world, infant mortality was very high. In 276 BC. e. Rome nearly died out as a result of an “epidemic” of stillbirths and miscarriages. The oracle informed that in order to increase the birth rate, a ritual of corporal punishment (flogging) of women using sacrificial skin is necessary. People who, for whatever reason, had few or no children were considered damned and resorted to mystical rites to gain the ability to bear children. The place where the she-wolf, according to legend, fed Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome) was considered holy by the Romans. Every year, on February 15, a holiday called “Lupercalia” (Latin lupa - “she-wolf”) was held here, during which animals were sacrificed. Scourges were made from their skins. After the feast, the young people took these whips and ran naked through the city, hitting the women they met along the way with the whip. Women willingly exposed themselves, believing that these blows would give them fertility and an easy birth. This became a very common ritual in Rome, in which even members of noble families participated. There is evidence that even Mark Antony was a Luperc.
At the end of the celebrations, the women also stripped naked. These festivals became so popular that even when many other pagan holidays were abolished with the advent of Christianity, this one still existed for a long time.
The holiday began its victorious procession in the form in which we now know it from America in the 19th century. This “holiday” was invented by managers of the American Postal Service’s marketing service. The idea is simple. After a severe crisis, money was needed, preferably more, which the population would pay voluntarily. A person will not pay if his pride is not flattered - which means that you need to come up with a reason that encourages action. For example, give a card with words of love and an image of a heart - and you will show that you love and are ready to make happy, if not the whole world, then definitely your loved ones. This is how postcards with words of love appeared that could be given in honor of a certain “Saint Valentine”, and they were sold for millions of dollars, bringing unexpected profits.
Cupid (or Cupid) is another symbol of “pure and beautiful” Love. But few people know that in Ancient Greece, where he was called Eros, celebrations were held in honor of this plump baby with a bow and quiver of arrows - the so-called. erotidia, which reunited in a loving impulse, including persons of the same sex.
The advertising industry has been very successful in imposing these dubious symbols. As a rule, people are guided in their actions by the herd instinct. Living by the principle “like everyone else, so am I,” many, without hesitation, run to the shops on February 14, raking postcards from the shelves with a projection of the female part of the body visible from behind, making their modest contribution to the commercialization of love.
In pursuit of increased profits, merchants transferred the symbols of hearts and doves with the word LOVE to other gift items - from glass trinkets to giant cakes, and the sincere wishes of love and loyalty of ordinary people and the selfish aspirations of cunning people became a tradition throughout the West.
In 1847, a certain Esther Howlent managed to make a decent fortune for herself by making Valentine's Day cards based on samples that existed in England. Many of them were not at all chaste, and even indecent. Little boys relieving themselves on girls running away in all directions, lustful girls and suicide rope nooses hanging from ceiling beams are just some of the images. Every year, E. Haulent earned $100 thousand from this. Every year, 1 billion greeting cards are sent out around the world on this day. Of these, 85% are bought by women who are so susceptible to romantic suggestions.
Opponents of this holiday in the West (there are some) call Valentine's Day a holiday of Hallmark, the world's largest manufacturer of greeting cards. In 2007, according to the American press, Hallmark earned $4 billion from people's feelings. Nowadays, love is measured in dollars.
“Valentine’s Day” is one of those newfangled holidays whose names do not at all indicate their ideological load. This day is celebrated with show programs and quizzes with piquant jokes. Many schools and gymnasiums strive to fulfill the “ritual” side of the holiday. A mailbox is installed in a prominent place, into which everyone from a first-grader to the school principal strives to drop off their “Valentine” with a declaration of love. Lessons fade into the background, everyone finds out who is in love with whom. In the evening there must be a disco with a program appropriate to the moment.
According to Allen Dulles's plan:“We will take on people from childhood, from adolescence, and we will place the main emphasis on youth. We will begin to corrupt, corrupt, corrupt them... We will quietly replace their values with false ones and force them to believe in these false values...” sex education, generously sponsored by various Soros, swept through the youth of Russia like a heavy steamroller. Those who publish youth magazines, pharmaceutical products, etc. made very good money from this.
Taking a closer look, we will see that in these “days” of rampant passions, the female half of the population is still more motivated and involved, ranging from little girls to fully mature women. They prepare for these “days” for a long time and expect a lot from them.
But what are they expecting? Of course, Love! And they receive it in the form of paper, cardboard and chocolate hearts, sweets and cakes and, of course, in the form of special attention.
Men of different ages are much more relaxed about “Valentine’s Day” and “Women’s Day”, not very well understanding what is expected of them on these days, but trying to justify these expectations and even use them as much as possible to achieve their purely masculine goals.
But after the “feast of the soul” (and not only the soul), a severe hangover sets in. For women and girls - accidental pregnancies, broken hearts, devastated Souls.
Since Soviet times, when statistics could be trusted, data has been known according to which, after the national celebration of “Women’s Day,” there was a significant surge in the number of abortions and the birth of so-called “holiday children,” i.e. children with various psychophysical disabilities. It is clear that Valentine's Day is no exception. Durex says condom sales increase by 20-30% the day before and on the day itself.
In addition to this, the bloody harvest - abortifacient "material" (body parts of murdered children used in the cosmetics industry) provides additional profits to the writers and directors of these "holidays".
Why are explanations about the background of all these “Valentine’s Days” so far ineffective? Because it is very difficult and often impossible to rationally deal with what is in the emotional sphere.
Why don’t young people want to hear about what is actually hidden behind these “days”? Most likely, because they are attracted by the word “love” in our harsh world, in which “love is becoming scarce.” Torn early from their parents and having gone through the “nursery-kindergarten” system, not caressed by parental love, not protected by it, but having grown thorns and prickles, they, like air, search for love for the rest of their lives and end up with just such substitutions. For them, love is no longer warmth, comfort, a lot of joint household chores and conversations. Parents who devote all their time and energy to earning money build purely functional relationships with their children: feed, clothe, put on shoes, provide entertainment. Mentally and spiritually undeveloped children also cannot give to anyone what they themselves have not received. It’s much easier to buy a paper or chocolate heart, give it to someone and forget about it. Now this is called love.
Love-look, love-secret, love-state - disappear. Actions of love appear. Love becomes a function. These were experiences before. Now everything is moving into objective activity. The subtlety of emotional experiences disappears.
This holiday instills a false concept of love, a substitution of concepts occurs. True Love is, first of all, chastity. It cannot sound otherwise than in combination with the words “family” and “family union.” The traditional family, which has always been based on the principles of love and mutual respect, is today forced to give way. For many people, family has ceased to be the most important component of their happiness and meaning in life, and is often perceived by them only as a temporarily necessary period in life that interferes with personal freedom. If a strong family without love and mutual respect is simply unthinkable, then for a free and non-binding relationship all that is required is love. This means that with the decline in the role of the family institution, the weight of holidays directly related to marriage and true Love also decreases.
Under the guise of a beautiful holiday, love is replaced by infatuation. And this substitution is barely noticeable for an undemanding person. Please note that it is not “Family Day” or “Love Day” that is celebrated, but “Valentine’s Day”. Who they are is not specified. And everyone interprets to their heart’s content as it suits them. Meanwhile, it turns out that not only legal spouses, but also other categories of persons can be considered lovers - from a young gigolo to the boss’s concubine, from a representative of a sexual minority to a “priestess of love.” And all this was wrapped in the robe of St. Valentine. Interestingly, even the famous Encyclopedia Britannica in 2000 diplomatically noted the lack of connection between “Valentine’s Day” and Saint Valentine himself or the events of his life.
The most disgusting thing is that children are very actively involved in this action. If quite recently the problem was how to prevent premature “adult” relationships, now they are literally pushing them towards them. Moreover, parents and teachers! How else can we understand the obsessive offer to draw “Valentines”, where there must be a boy and a girl (note, not a boy and a girl!)? How should we understand the proposal to write love notes to each other, so that teachers (!) will deliver them to the recipients?
An analytical document prepared by employees of the Moscow State Pedagogical University and the Moscow Department of Education notes that the so-called “Valentine’s Day” is an immoral holiday aimed at turning intimate feelings into a general and public event, and also exploits base feelings and perverts the very concept of love.
In 2011, in order to prevent the spread of Western culture, Valentine cards, teddy bears and other attributes of Valentine's Day were banned in Iran. In addition, some religious activists in India and Pakistan protest Valentine's Day as a holiday of fornication and shame. They view it as a Western celebration where people satisfy their sexual desires.
People, Love must be given regardless of the holidays. As for postcards and trinkets, these are absolutely useless things, just human whims, for which our Planet has to pay with its resources. Calculate how many trees need to be cut down to make cards, so that people all over the Planet can give each other cards for the holiday, which they can do without. Calculate how many resources are needed to make trinket gifts. And then count how many holidays are celebrated a year and how many cards and trinkets are given for all these holidays. People are being brainwashed: “Consume, consume, consume and don’t think about anything! There is no holiday without cards and gifts!” Now people are just consumers, consuming absolutely thoughtlessly, not realizing that with every purchase they consume the resources of the Planet, which do not have time to recover so quickly, do not keep up with the pace of consumption. As a result, we have an environmental disaster, and every consumer is involved in it. If you want to give something to the people you love, then give them love and attention. If you want to spend money, then instead of all sorts of trinkets and postcards, feed homeless people, animals, and finally, buy seedlings and plant a tree for your loved ones. This will be of greater benefit than gifts and cards.
It’s worth thinking about whether it’s necessary to continue celebrating this holiday according to the imposed habit, exchanging useless gifts. Maybe it’s better to remember our NATIVE holidays? Lyudmila Vasilchenko talks very well about nature-appropriate holidays in her lecture.
The most romantic holiday occurs in mid-February. For many, it has already become customary to celebrate Valentine's Day; people congratulate each other and exchange small pleasant gifts. Some people even specially mark a wedding or engagement to coincide with Valentine’s Day. But not everyone knows what the history of Valentine's Day is.
Unfortunately, no one can say exactly where exactly the tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day came from. Even the true history of St. Valentine is unknown, since at least three saints bearing this name have been canonized by the Catholic Church. But there is a beautiful legend about the origin of the holiday.
Legend
According to legend, the history of the most romantic holiday dates back to the third century. The formidable emperor of Rome at that time, named Claudius II, dreamed of conquering the whole world. And he didn’t want anything to stop him from achieving his goals. The Emperor believed that the best warrior is a single warrior , since a married man does not want to fight, but to live in a family and raise his children. Therefore, the emperor issued a decree that categorically forbade legionnaires to marry.
However, the warriors from Claudius's army were not robots, but people. And people tend to fall in love. A priest named Valentin, perfectly understanding the danger threatening him, nevertheless secretly married lovers .
The emperor, having learned that his decree was being grossly violated, became terribly angry. The disgraced priest was captured, imprisoned and sentenced to death. The jailer's young daughter, having learned about Valentin's tragic story, wanted to meet him. An ardent feeling flared up between the young people. But Valentin did not have long to live. per day before the execution, which fell on February 14 , the priest handed his last love note to his beloved.
There is another version of the legend. According to her, the jailer's young daughter was beautiful, but blind. But, having received a farewell note from Valentin, in which he put a sprig of saffron, the girl began to see the light.
Who was Valentin?
Several priests of early Christian times can “claim” the role of the founder of Valentine’s Day. Thus, Valentine could be a Roman priest executed by order of the emperor in 269. But perhaps the title of the most romantic saint deserves the bishop of Interamna, who had the ability to heal the sick. This priest was also executed because, thanks to him, many young people converted to Christianity.
When did the holiday appear?
The day dedicated to Saint Valentine was established in 496 by papal decree of Gelasius I.
Since 1969, as a result of the reform of worship, Saint Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church (along with other Roman saints, information about whose lives is contradictory and unreliable), noted the Internet portal wordyou.ru. However, even before 1969, the church did not approve or support the traditions of celebrating this day.
So modern Valentine's Day is an exclusively secular holiday, not a church holiday.
According to the Catholic calendar, February 14 is the day of veneration of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the Orthodox Church, the day of remembrance of Roman Valentine is present, but it falls on July 19 (new style).
Many Christian holidays are based on pagan festivities. Valentine's Day is no exception. Many believe that the history of the holiday begins much earlier than the advent of Christianity.
During the times of Ancient Rome, the holiday of Lupercalia was extremely popular among young people. It was dedicated to eroticism and fertility. A holiday was held in honor of two deities at once - the goddess of love Juno and the satyr god Faun. This holiday was celebrated in mid-February. This month was the New Year's Eve (the year for the Romans began on the first of March), so at this time it was necessary to take stock and make plans for the next year.
The holiday began at the Capitoline Hill, where animals were sacrificed to Faun, who patronized cattle breeding. Belts were cut from the skin of killed bulls and given to young men. The guys, having previously stripped naked, ran around the city, whipping the girls and women they met with belts.
Interestingly, this method of “courtship” did not cause protests among the ladies. Moreover, they willingly exposed their sides and backs, since it was believed that this ritual would make women more fertile and provide them with an easy birth.
The celebration continued the next day. On this day, girls dominated. They put signs with their names in a large vase. And the men had to take out one tablet at a time. That is, a kind of lot was drawn. The girl whose nameplate the guy took out should become his girlfriend for this year. No one asked the guy’s opinion about whether he liked the girl he would have to court.
A holiday somewhat similar to the ancient Roman Lupercalia, it was also celebrated in Rus' during the pagan period. True, it was celebrated not in February, but at the end of June (according to the old style, if counted according to the new style, then at the beginning of July), and was dedicated to Kupala - the god of fertility and the Sun.
Young boys and girls decorated themselves with flowers, sang songs, danced in circles, and jumped over fires.
These days the holiday is known as Ivan Kupala night , since after the introduction of Christianity this day fell on the day of remembrance of John the Baptist.
Tradition and modernity
The traditions of celebrating Valentine's Day have, of course, changed somewhat over the years. But one thing remained unchanged - the custom of exchanging love notes, which became known as “Valentines.”
The oldest known “Valentine” is a love letter in verse sent by the Duke of Orleans to his young wife from a cell in the Tower of London. This “Valentine” dates back to 1415.
And starting from the mid-18th century, in the countries of Europe and America it became a habit to exchange small tokens of attention and notes with declarations of love. In the twentieth century, homemade “Valentines” were practically replaced by ready-made cards printed in printing houses. But these days it has again become fashionable to give handmade “Valentines”.
At the beginning of the last century It has become fashionable for young people to send sweet gifts to their lovers - marzipans . This delicacy was not cheap back then, so it was a very generous gift. Over time, marzipan was replaced by chocolate. And confectioners quickly figured out how to make additional profit and began producing sweets in the shape of hearts.
In Japan, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated only in the 30s of the last century. But in the Land of the Rising Sun, special traditions have developed. On this day it is customary to congratulate only men. Girls give their chosen ones purely male accessories (razors, belts, etc.).
The holiday began to be celebrated in Russia in the 90s of the last century. But it has already become incredibly popular; it is celebrated by people of all ages, from kindergarteners to pensioners, because, as you know, love knows no age.
Why did this holiday become a favorite in Russia so quickly? The answer is simple: during a long winter, any person wants more warmth and love. And here comes another reason to remember your loved ones. Therefore, people are happy to exchange pleasant gifts and recognition.
But there are some countries in the world that are especially distinguished in celebrating Valentine's Day. First of all this Saudi Arabia, which is the only country in the world where this holiday... officially prohibited, and under pain of heavy fines.
And Rus' had its own Valentine's Day, but it was celebrated not in winter, but in early summer. It was associated with the legendary love story of Peter and Fevronia, today in our country this day is celebrated official holiday All-Russian Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.
Almost everyone will celebrate Valentine's Day. After all, this is a holiday of love that the whole world knows about. Although the traditions of Valentine's Day may differ in some countries, its meaning and main purpose are always the same. At first glance, it may seem that this story of Valentine's Day is completely uninteresting and reading this article is pointless. But this is not at all true, because the number of legends about the origin of the celebration and everything connected with them is quite surprising.
By the way, we have already written about how to make a gift with your own hands not on Valentine’s Day.
How Valentine's Day came to be, read further in our material.
If you don’t dig too hard, you can find literally 2-3 legends about the origin of Valentine’s Day. Despite the fact that they are the most common, not everyone has even heard of their existence. Read more about it.
Valentine's Day: history of the holiday
According to one of the ancient legends, biblical by the way, Valentine's Day appeared around the 5th century AD. But the events that served as the foundation of Valentine's Day happened even earlier.
In the 3rd century, Rome was ruled by Emperor Claudius, who, like his predecessors, sought to conquer the whole world. Of course, he didn’t have enough army for this, so he issued an order that will seem too cruel now.
Claudius forbade all priests from marrying young couples, and people under 20 from having children. At that time, this was often done even earlier. Despite all these prohibitions and the fear of execution, a young priest named Valentin secretly married young people at night. Of course, everything secret becomes clear at some point, and this case was no exception.
Valentin was caught and sentenced to death. He spent some time in prison, awaiting execution of the sentence. And during this time he managed to meet the young daughter of the prison guard, whose name was Yulia. The girl was blind, so she could not see her lover. Before the execution, the young priest left the girl a note on which was written “Your Valentine,” and it was thanks to this that the girl was healed and began to see again.
They decided to canonize Valentine only two hundred years later. in 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 (the priest's birthday) as St. Valentine's Day.
According to another legend, Valentine's Day arose as a memory of the Roman patrician Valentin. Despite his high position, he was a secret Christian and converted all his servants to the new faith and sometimes performed weddings.
He was caught once, right during the trial. Of course, thanks to his status, Valentin could avoid execution, but the other two could not. Valentin tried to somehow reduce their suffering and began to send them hearts that symbolized Christian love. A blind girl was supposed to deliver them.
On the eve of his execution, Valentin managed to persuade the guards to take his life in exchange for those who were to be executed. The last thing he managed to do in life was to give the blind girl a letter that was consecrated. And thanks to him, the girl regained her sight.
See how Valentine's Day came to be
These are the two legends of the origin of Valentine's Day 2018. They are, of course, very similar and do not look like the truth. But many people believe it.
How Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world
If we already know the date and history of the holiday, then let’s understand a little about the traditions of the holiday, because they differ slightly in different countries.
Read what you can cook on Valentine's Day.
It must be said right away that Valentine’s Day appeared relatively recently in Ukraine, although it almost instantly became incredibly popular.
But in the rest of Europe, Valentine's Day has been celebrated since the 18th century.
Let's remember how Valentine's Day is celebrated in our country. Of course, there are a huge number of loving couples that can be found in any restaurant, and almost all stores have huge promotions, because you need to buy gifts for the holiday. Almost every child who studies in elementary school brings a pre-prepared Valentine there. And some even host holiday concerts.
But in other countries everything is a little different from the conventional Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa. And let's find out why.
In England, for example, valentines are sent not only to loved ones, but also to all relatives, friends, acquaintances and even pets. By the way, there is also a rather interesting tradition for unmarried girls. It is believed that they should get up at dawn and look out the window. The first man they see will be their betrothed.
And of course, we can’t help but mention Valentine’s Day in Germany. After all, many have probably heard that February 14 is not celebrated there as Valentine’s Day, but as the Day of the Mentally Ill. And it's true. But only opponents of St. Valentine think so, and there are many fewer of them than couples in love.
In France, only jewelry should be given on Valentine's Day.
But in Denmark, people send dried white flowers to each other.
But Saudi Arabia, as always, distinguished itself. There, Valentine's Day is completely prohibited, and if you celebrate it, you can get a rather large fine.
But the traditions of the holiday in Italy are quite different from other countries. There, Valentine's Day is called the day of sweets, and you yourself understand how it is celebrated.
Find out how the world celebrates Valentine's Day
As you can see, there is a lot of interesting things here and Valentine’s Day is indeed celebrated almost all over the world. Let's take a look at the history of its origins and find out how and when Valentine's Day actually appeared.
When did Valentine's Day begin?
If we have already talked about the legends of the holiday, because it is difficult to name biblical stories in any other way, now it’s time to remember the real historical facts that could serve as the foundation of St. Valentine’s Day.
Very often, the origin of Valentine's Day is associated with the ancient Roman holiday of Lupercalia. This celebration was celebrated in honor of the goddess of “feverish” love Juno Februata and the god Faun.
By the way, information about this holiday is quite contradictory. But historians insist that Lupercalia appeared due to the high mortality rate among children in ancient Rome. Then the city could simply die out. Then there were quite a lot of people who simply could not have children and they were considered cursed.
But the place where, according to legend, the she-wolf nursed Romulus and Remus was considered sacred. Therefore, once a year, most likely on February 14, grandiose festivities were held there, which were supposed to increase the birth rate in Rome. As a matter of fact, they succeeded in everything. That is why, when Christianity appeared, this holiday could not be canceled for a long time.
It is quite difficult to say exactly what date Lupercalia was celebrated. In 494, Pope Gelasius I tried to ban Lupercalia. But it was quite difficult to do this. Some historians say that this is why Valentine's Day was created. But all that can be said for sure is that Pope Gelasius only put an end to the celebration of Lupercalia in Rome.
Find out more in this video
If now the history of the appearance and origin of the celebration and when it will be approximately clear to us, then now we can talk a little about the symbols and legends of the holiday. After all, they are also quite interesting.
Valentine's Day: legends and symbols of the holiday
Well, if we have more or less figured out the historical factors, and we already roughly understand when and how this holiday appeared, not according to religious beliefs, but according to historical facts, then now we can learn a little about the legends of St. Valentine’s Day.
There are actually only two legends here, which we have already told you about. The only difference is in the name and small nuances. They all appeared in the late Middle Ages in France and England.
Golden Legend tells us the story of Valentin, who was a field doctor and priest (there were many such people at that time). And Emperor Claudius, already familiar to us, decided that men who were not burdened by marriage and children fought many times better. Well, that’s why marriages were prohibited. But our hero, Valentin, being a very kind and believing person, secretly sanctified the marriage at night. Well, the rest of the story is already known, he was caught and killed. By the way, it was thanks to this legend that Pope Gelasius established Valentine's Day.
The second legend has no name, but the main character is also called Valentin. He lived in Rome during pagan times, but was secretly faithful to Christianity. He was quite famous and he had many servants, whom he also converted to the new faith. But one day this was noticed and his servants were sentenced to death. And Valentin’s high rank allowed him to avoid execution. Legend has it that he began sending small heart-shaped cards to the prison to cheer up his servants. But in the end, he managed to agree that he himself would be executed instead of the servants.
Valentines are the main symbols of the holiday. There are two legends about their origin. We have already told you the first: it was precisely those postcards that Valentin sent to his servants that were the first.
Read on for the best Valentine's Day greetings.
And the second legend says that the first symbols of the holiday appeared when Lupercalia was celebrated in ancient Rome. The girls then wrote small notes and threw them into a special trash can, from where the men took them out and then ran to look for the girl. Nowadays, Valentine's Day is, of course, celebrated differently, but the similarities can be seen with the naked eye.
The most romantic holiday occurs in mid-February. For many, it has already become customary to celebrate Valentine's Day; people congratulate each other and exchange small pleasant gifts. Some people even specially mark a wedding or engagement to coincide with Valentine’s Day. But not everyone knows what the history of Valentine's Day is.
Unfortunately, no one can say exactly where exactly the tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day came from. Even the true history of St. Valentine is unknown, since at least three saints bearing this name have been canonized by the Catholic Church. But there is a beautiful legend about the origin of the holiday.
Legend
According to legend, the history of the most romantic holiday dates back to the third century. The formidable emperor of Rome at that time, named Claudius II, dreamed of conquering the whole world. And he didn’t want anything to stop him from achieving his goals.
The Emperor believed that the best warrior is a single warrior, since a married man does not want to fight, but to live in a family and raise his children. Therefore, the emperor issued a decree that categorically forbade legionnaires to marry.
However, the warriors from Claudius's army were not robots, but people. And people tend to fall in love. A priest named Valentin, perfectly understanding the danger threatening him, nevertheless secretly married lovers.
The emperor, having learned that his decree was being grossly violated, became terribly angry. The disgraced priest was captured, imprisoned and sentenced to death. The jailer's young daughter, having learned about Valentin's tragic story, wanted to meet him. An ardent feeling flared up between the young people. But Valentin did not have long to live. per day before the execution, which fell on February 14, the priest handed his last love note to his beloved.
There is another version of the legend. According to her, the jailer's young daughter was beautiful, but blind. But, having received a farewell note from Valentin, in which he put a sprig of saffron, the girl began to see the light.
Who was Valentin?
Several priests of early Christian times can “claim” the role of the founder of Valentine’s Day. Thus, Valentine could be a Roman priest executed by order of the emperor in 269. But perhaps the title of the most romantic saint deserves the bishop of Interamna, who had the ability to heal the sick. This priest was also executed because, thanks to him, many young people converted to Christianity.
When did the holiday appear?
The day dedicated to Saint Valentine was established in 496 by papal decree of Gelasius I.
However, in the second half of the twentieth century, during reforms in the Catholic Church, Saint Valentine was crossed out from the canonical calendar. Of course, such a fate befell not only Valentine, but also a large number of Roman saints, about whose life and activities no reliable information has been preserved.
So modern Valentine's Day is an exclusively secular holiday, not a church holiday.
According to the Catholic calendar, February 14 is the day of veneration of Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the Orthodox Church, the day of remembrance of Roman Valentine is present, but it falls on July 19 (new style).
Echoes of paganism
Many Christian holidays are based on pagan festivities. Valentine's Day is no exception. Many believe that the history of the holiday begins much earlier than the advent of Christianity.
During the times of Ancient Rome, the holiday of Lupercalia was extremely popular among young people. It was dedicated to eroticism and fertility. A holiday was held in honor of two deities at once - the goddess of love Juno and the satyr god Faun. This holiday was celebrated in mid-February. This month was the New Year's Eve (the year for the Romans began on the first of March), so at this time it was necessary to take stock and make plans for the next year.
The holiday began at the Capitoline Hill, where animals were sacrificed to Faun, who patronized cattle breeding. Belts were cut from the skin of killed bulls and given to young men. The guys, having previously stripped naked, ran around the city, whipping the girls and women they met with belts. Interestingly, this method of “courtship” did not cause protests among the ladies. Moreover, they willingly exposed their sides and backs, since it was believed that this ritual would make women more fertile and provide them with an easy birth.
The celebration continued the next day. On this day, girls dominated. They put signs with their names in a large vase. And the men had to take out one tablet at a time. That is, a kind of lot was drawn. The girl whose nameplate the guy took out should become his girlfriend for this year. No one asked the guy’s opinion about whether he liked the girl he would have to court.
A holiday somewhat similar to the ancient Roman Lupercalia, it was also celebrated in Rus' during the pagan period. True, it was celebrated not in February, but at the end of June (according to the old style, if counted according to the new style, then at the beginning of July), and was dedicated to Kupala - the god of fertility and the Sun.
Young boys and girls decorated themselves with flowers, sang songs, danced in circles, and jumped over fires.
These days the holiday is known as Ivan Kupala night, since after the introduction of Christianity this day fell on the day of remembrance of John the Baptist.
Tradition and modernity
The traditions of celebrating Valentine's Day have, of course, changed somewhat over the years. But one thing remained unchanged - the custom of exchanging love notes, which became known as “Valentines.”
The oldest known “Valentine” is a love letter in verse sent by the Duke of Orleans to his young wife from a cell in the Tower of London. This “Valentine” dates back to 1415.
And starting from the mid-18th century, in the countries of Europe and America it became a habit to exchange small tokens of attention and notes with declarations of love. In the twentieth century, homemade “Valentines” were practically replaced by ready-made cards printed in printing houses. But these days it has again become fashionable to give handmade “Valentines”.
At the beginning of the last century, It became fashionable for young people to send their lovers sweet gifts - marzipan. This delicacy was not cheap back then, so it was a very generous gift. Over time, marzipan was replaced by chocolate. And confectioners quickly figured out how to make additional profit and began producing sweets in the shape of hearts.
In Japan Valentine's Day began to be celebrated only in the 30s of the last century. But in the Land of the Rising Sun, special traditions have developed. On this day it is customary to congratulate only men. Girls give their chosen ones purely male accessories (razors, belts, etc.).
Holiday in Russia began to be celebrated in the 90s of the last century. But it has already become incredibly popular; it is celebrated by people of all ages, from kindergarteners to pensioners, because, as you know, love knows no age.
Why did this holiday become a favorite in Russia so quickly? The answer is simple: during a long winter, any person wants more warmth and love. And here comes another reason to remember your loved ones. Therefore, people are happy to exchange pleasant gifts and recognition.
Valentine's Day: history of the holiday, who Valentine is, in what year Valentine's Day appeared, traditional gifts.
Valentine's Day: history of the holiday
It is believed that Valentine's Day has existed for more than 16 centuries, but the holidays of Love have been known since even earlier times - since the times of ancient pagan cultures.
For example, the ancient Romans celebrated a festival of eroticism called Lupercalia in mid-February, in honor of the goddess of love, Juno Februata.
In ancient times, Rus' had its own holiday - Valentine's Day, which was celebrated at the beginning of summer - it is associated with the legendary love story of Peter and Fevronia and is dedicated to Kupala - the pagan Slavic god, the son of Perun.
Valentine's Day: who is Valentine?
Unfortunately, documented data about Saint Valentine has not survived to this day. It could be either a martyr from Rome - a Christian priest, or a generous philanthropist who donated huge sums for the construction of churches.
The most beautiful legend about Saint Valentine, which is passed down from mouth to mouth, says: during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the Roman Empire - approximately 269 - the emperor’s army lacked soldiers for military campaigns. To increase the size of the army, the emperor issued a decree calling up soldiers for military service. Even marriage did not save you from service - according to this decree of the emperor, legionnaires were forbidden to marry.
Tradition says that at this time a young priest and skilled physician, Valentin, lived in Rome, adding wine, milk and honey to his mixtures for the sick. A jailer who had a blind daughter learned about his medical skill. Although her blindness seemed incurable to Valentine, he prayed for her healing and prepared medicines, and the longer he worked, the more he fell in love with the blind girl. Unable to help her, he tried to be useful to those lovers who were separated by the cruel decree of the emperor, secretly marrying them in the temple.
For this, Valentin was imprisoned and sentenced to death. The night before his execution, he wrote a note to his beloved: “I’m sorry. Your Valentine,” and wrapped a saffron flower in it. A miracle happened: the blind girl was able to read the words and see the flower.
Apparently, this is why it became customary to write love notes on Valentine’s Day - “Valentines” - notes to people dear to your heart in the shape of hearts.
Valentine's Day: in what year did the holiday appear?
The roots of the holiday - Valentine's Day - are pagan. In some regions, February 14th was called Bird Wedding Day, because at this time birds pair up to build nests.
In 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th Valentine's Day.
In the 17th century in France, the historian Tillemont, and later in the 18th century in England, Butler and Douce, suggested that Valentine's Day was introduced to replace the pagan rite of choosing the names of lovers at random on the eve of the feast of the goddess Juno, celebrated on February 15.
In Western Europe, Valentine's Day began to be widely celebrated from the 13th century, in the USA - from 1777.
Valentine's Day: what to give to your loved ones?
Traditionally, on Valentine's Day, lovers give each other “Valentines” - notes about their feelings, written on paper in the shape of a heart.
Traditional gifts for Valentine's Day are sweets - marzipan, candy and chocolate. Fresh flowers packed in a heart-shaped bouquet will also be a wonderful gift for your loved one.
It is very symbolic on Valentine's Day, on Valentine's Day - to propose marriage to your beloved girl on this day - your beloved will never forget such a gift!
