Valentine’s day is a day of love, celebration, and fun that has been celebrated for centuries. But how did it all start?
The origin of Valentine’s day can be traced back to Ancient Rome. During this time, the Romans celebrated the festival of Lupercalia, which was a fertility celebration. On this day, boys would draw the names of girls from a jar and they would be paired together for the duration of the festival.
This practice eventually evolved into the exchanging of love letters and small gifts. It is believed that this tradition was taken up by Christians in the Middle Ages, who used it to remember the martyr St. Valentine. The story goes that St. Valentine was imprisoned for his Christian faith, and while in jail he fell in love with a jailer’s daughter. He wrote her a love letter before his execution, and the letter became symbolic of love and romance. This is the most widely accepted version of the origin of Valentine’s Day.
After his death, Valentine became a saint and the Catholic Church honored his memory by declaring February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day. The day quickly became associated with love, as people began to send love letters and tokens of affection to their beloved.
Over the centuries, the tradition of exchanging cards and gifts on Valentine’s Day has continued to grow, becoming a popular holiday celebrated around the world. So the next time you celebrate Valentine’s Day, remember the story of St. Valentine and the legacy he left behind.
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