VALENTINES DAY - LEGENDS AND STORIES OF THE HOLIDAYS ORIGIN

2023-01-29 ( Sun, 29 Jan 2023) Admin Admin 0 Valentine's Day

Several theories surround the story of Valentines Day. For about three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Roman emperors continued to insist on believing in their gods. Valentine was a Christian priest, and he was imprisoned for his teachings. On February 14, Valentine was beheaded, but not only because he was a Christian priest, but because he performed a miracle. There is a story that he cured the jailers daughter of blindness. The night before his execution, he wrote her a farewell letter, signing it From your Valentine Another legend. Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived around the same time, 200 A.D. He was imprisoned for secretly marrying couples in love, against the laws of the Roman emperor. According to some reports, he was burned at the stake. It is not known exactly why February, 14 is known as Valentines Day, or if St. Valentine really had anything to do with the day. Historians claim that the modern celebration of Valentines Day was a mixture of ancient Christian and Roman traditions. According to one legend, the holiday comes from the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia - Lupercalia, which was a festival of fertility and was celebrated annually on February 15. But during the rise of Christianity in Europe, many pagan festivals were renamed in honor of Christian martyrs. The Lupercalia festival was no an exception. In 496 A.D., Pop Gelasius decreed that the festival of Lupercalia be included in the Christian holiday and established its observance one day earlier, February 14. He proclaimed February 14 as a feast day for Roman Valentine. There were at least three Christian saints named Valentine in the Catholic Encyclopedia. One was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he ended his life in Africa. But it is known that they were all executed February 14. Most scholars believe that St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 in Rome and attracted the disfavor of the Roman emperor Claudius II, who was the ruler of that time. At the time of Valentinus, the golden era of the Roman Empire was almost at an end. The lack of capable leaders led to frequent civil wars. Taxes rose exorbitantly. The Roman Empire faced a crisis from all sides-from Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks, and Mongols from northern Europe and Asia. The story of St. Valentine also has two different versions, Protestant and Catholic. But both versions agree with the story when St. Valentine, as a bishop, performed secret marriage ceremonies for the soldiers of Emperor Claudius II, who forbade marriage for young soldiers and, later, was executed for it. Claudius II believed that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus would not be good soldiers. He issued an edict banning marriage for his soldiers. The ban on marriage was a great shock to the Romans. But they did not dare to protest openly against the powerful emperor. Bishop Valentinus considered this decree unfair, and seeing the mark this trauma left on young lovers who had lost all hope of having a family, he secretly performed marriage ceremonies for young lovers. But such things cannot remain secret for long. When Claudius II found out about this, Valentine was arrested.

Claudius II met with Valentinus, and he is said to have been impressed by the latters sense of dignity. Valentinus refused to agree with the emperor regarding the prohibition of marriage. He also refused to acknowledge the Roman gods and even tried to convert the emperor himself, fully aware of the consequences. Legend says that there was a deep friendship between Valentinus and Asterius daughter. Just before his execution, Valentinus asked his jailer for a pencil and paper to jailer and signed a farewell for her, From your Valentine,a phrase that lives on, to this day. Valentine was executed on February 14, 270 A.D. After that, February 14 became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its patron saint. And as strange as the origin story is, Valentines Day is lovers day. When a lover can send a letter and candy to his beloved, flowers as a symbol of love. The first greeting cards valentines appeared in the 16th century. William Shakespeare helped romanticize Valentines Day in his work, and the holiday gained popularity throughout Great Britain and then the rest of Europe. Originally cards were handmade. Valentines made with lace, ribbons, and pictures of a cupid with an arrow piercing his heart. Later on, this tradition spread to the Americas. Today Valentines Day is one of the main holidays in the U.S. and has a huge commercial success. But who was St. Valentine, and did he really exist? We only know that the day has a mix of Christian and ancient Roman traditions. But the personal history of the patron saint of Valentines Day is shrouded in mystery.

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