History of Valentine's Day

It is February the 14th, a day full of kindness and love. The air is fully saturated with love and care for their beloved one. I took a day off going around having a sense of the love season. Oh well, shops full of pinkish and reddish soft toys, candies, chocolates and wishing cards with all the poetic love outpour from the writer.

There are a lot of versions regarding Valentine’s Day history. Well I’m here to share whatever I know. Valentine’s Day is believed to be originated from Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February the 14th was a holiday to honour Juno who was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses.

In that time, the lives of boys and girls were strictly estranged. However, one of the customs is the names of Roman girls were written on paper and placed in a jar. Each man would then draw a girl’s name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the Feast of Lupercalia. Sometimes the pairing lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and marry.

However, under the ruling of Emperor Claudius II, Rome was famed in many bloody campaigns. Claudius King was having a hard time getting soldiers to participate in his military. He found out that the only reason for them not to join was that the young man did not want to leave their loves or families. Thus, He cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome forcing all the young man to join his military league.

St. Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He aided the Christina martyrs and secretly married couples. However, his noble deed was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He died on the 14th of February 270A.D. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine for his noble deed of joining the loves one together.

Oh well, there might be a lot more other version of Valentine’s Day history. The meaning of the Valentine’s is just to remember your love one; your spouse, friends or even your family members. Showing your appreciation towards them.