Everyone knows Valentine’s day is about love and friendship but it has a dark and ancient history that has led it to become the lighthearted tradition it is today.
It is believed that there was a Saint named Valentine who served as a priest during the third century in Rome. The Emperor at the time Claudius ll thought single men made better soldiers than married ones so he illegalized marriage of young men. Valentine went against this and married young couples in secret but when Claudius found out he sentenced him to death. Others interpretations say he died for helping Christians escape Roman prison, another one says he fell in love and wrote a love letter before passing away. Valentine’s is believed to be in February to “Christianize” Lupercalia, a festival about Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. A goat and a dog would be sacrificed to represent fertility. Women would then place their names in an urn (vase) and then they would be placed with a man that often led to marriage. All of these events lead to the modern day of Valentine’s Day.
Why people give out valentines: Gifts are given out on valentines day to show the affection and love a person has for someone. During the 18th century till 1900 giving out hand written letters was very popular. Now it has evolved into many things like flowers and candy which are very popular choices. Valentines were first handed out in the 1700s and still last to this day.
Cupid has been an iconic symbol of Valentine’s day for a long time even going as far back as ancient Greek times but Cupid has not always been a fat cherub that shoots magical arrows. In fact, during ancient times Cupid was depicted more in the likes of the mythical god Zeus and was also equipped with leaden arrows that make a person repulsed with the first person that they see. He was more seen as a figure that caused issues between people and not necessarily related to love. Over time Cupid was eventually turned into the symbol that is known today and goes hand in hand with the definition of Valentine’s day.
Valentine’s day has a lot of lore and history more people didn’t know about. It is a day about love and appreciation. Happy Valentine’s Day!
