Valentine’s Day is that moment of the year when lovers express their love with flowers, gifts, sweets, like a second “first date”.

The inspiration for the establishment of this celebration came from the Lupercalia, which took place in mid-February. The Lupercalia were one of the oldest Roman festivals held annually in honor of Lupercus, an early god of fertility in Roman mythology. They were celebrated in many cities of Italy and Gaul and were banned in 494 AD. from the Pope. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rituals, as well as the pairing of women with men by lot.

“The Lupercalia” – Domenico Beccafumi

In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia celebrations, which are thought to have been replaced by today’s Valentine’s Day.

But the real origin of the celebration has another story hidden behind it.

Valentine’s Day was celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century. Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day is said to be named after a priest who was martyred by the emperor Claudius II the Gothic. According to legend, the priest sent a letter to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended as she cured him of blindness. The letter was signed: “From your Valentine.”

love

Another legend states that Saint Valentine defied the orders of the then emperor and married couples in secret, to save the husbands from being sent to war. That is why his holiday is associated with love.
The official start of the holiday appeared in the 1500s, while the late 1700s saw the first printed commercial “love” cards, with the United States using them by the mid-1800s.

angel

Saint Valentine is usually represented by Eros, the Roman god of love, surrounded by his hearts and arrows.

Finally, an additional piece of information is that because the mating season of birds begins in mid-February, birds also became a symbol of the day.

Happy birthday to everyone and may those not in love fall in love.