It is that time of the year when everything is red and pink in the shape of a heart. We all love and adore Valentine’s Day however, it was not all flowers and hearts in Ancient Rome.
Back in Ancient Rome there was a festival called “Lupercalia” which celebrated fertility. They honored it by pairing men and women through a lottery system, eventually leading to a marriage. However, the good old Valentine’s Day actually took its form when the Roman Empire became less pagan. When Christianity began to expand and the Catholic Church started to wed people things got to change. It was the era of Emperor Claudius II, and he decided that men with no wives and children made better soldiers so he forbade the church to marry people. After that declaration, a saint named Valentine wedded men and women in secret because he believed in the magic of love. Later, when his performing marriages in secret were discovered, Claudius beheaded the saint. It is still believed that this is where the holidays got its name from.
While that is one of the most common legends for the origin of Valentine’s Day, there are still legends as popular as that. Do you know how the phrase “Will you be my Valentine?” got into the English language? It was when Saint Valentine was put behind the bars for helping Christian prisoners escape torturous Roman prisons. Legends indicate that it was his jailor’s daughter, Julia, that he fell in love with. Whom he wrote several letters to, during his confinement. Allegedly, he would address the letters as “From your Valentine” and that is how the expression joined us in our daily life.
It is safe to say that the origin of Valentine’s Day is not as romantic as it is today, however, it is surely interesting. While we are not sure if any of these are true, we will still continue to celebrate love with our loved ones with lots of hearts, red roses and chocolates. Wishing you a cozy Valentine’s Day!
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