Valentine’s Day – Time to Express Affection

Valentine’s Day – Time to Express Affection

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Feb 14, 2012 : The history of Valentine’s Day is almost unknown, although February has been, from times immemorial celebrated as a month of romance. St. Valentine’s Day, as celebrated today, has its roots in ancient Roman as well as Christian traditions.

Christian Roots

The Catholic Church has three different saints called Valentine. One of the legends associated with Valentine’s Day states that Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome during the third century. Emperor Claudius II, who felt that single men made better soldiers than married men, made it illegal for men to get married. Understanding that the emperor’s order was unjust, Valentine performed wedding ceremonies in secret. When the emperor came to know of this, he ordered that Valentine must be put to death.

According to another legend, Valentine was killed for helping Christians escape from Roman prisons, where they were tortured and beaten. Yet another legend says that Valentine was the man who sent the first Valentine greeting card to the jailor’s daughter, whom he loved. Just before his death, he wrote a letter to her, which he signed “From your Valentine,” a phrase that is used by young lovers even today. 

Pagan Roots

According to certain sources, Valentine’s Day is the result of the Catholic Church’s attempts to Christianize the Pagan festival of Lupercalia, which is celebrated on Feb 15. This was a Roman festival in honor of Faunus, the god of agriculture, as well as Remus and Romulus, the founders of Rome. As part of the festival, the young women of the city would write their names on a piece of paper and put them in a large urn. The eligible bachelors of the city would then draw a name. If things went well between the matched couple, they would get married.

Oldest Valentine

The oldest known valentine greeting is a poem written by Charles, the Duke of Orleans to his wife, in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Several years later, King Henry V hired John Lydgate to write valentine notes to Catherine of Valois.

Valentine’s Day Today

Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Mexico, Canda, UK, Australia, France, and the US. By the mid-eighteenth century, friends and lovers began exchanges gifts and Valentine ’s Day notes to express affection. In the beginning of the twentieth century, printed notes and cards replaced handwritten notes and poems.

The Greeting Card Association says that around 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent every year, making Valentine’s Day the year’s second largest card-sending holiday, and women are believed to make 85 percent of the purchases.