VALENTINE'S DAY, also known as St. Valentine's Day, is celebrated on February 14th, when lovers express their love with greetings and gifts. But, there's more to this day. There are few stories behind this day:
💖The holiday derives from the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which takes place in February. The festival, which celebrated the arrival of spring, included fertility rites and the lottery pairing of women and men.
Lupercalia was an ancient Roman fertility festival held in mid-February. This feast of debauchery was dedicated to Faunas, the Roman god of agriculture, and the Roman founders Romulus and Remus, and included a ritual in which an order of Roman priests ran through the streets, "gently slapping" women with the blood-soaked hides of sacrificed animals, which they believed promoted fertility. Women would later be paired with men "by lottery."
The celebration of Lupercalia was replaced by St. Valentine's Day at the end of the fifth century, but the true origin of the holiday is hazy at best. Valentine's Day did not become popular as a romantic holiday until the 14th century.
💖💖Pope Gelasius declared February 14th St. Valentine's Day at the end of the fifth century, and since then, February 14th has been a day of celebration—though it was generally more religious than romantic.
St. Valentine's Day was a Catholic feast day that was added to the liturgical calendar around 500 AD. The day was named after the martyred saint Valentine.
Saint Valentine was a Roman priest who performed weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry due to a Roman emperor's edict declaring that married soldiers did not make good warriors and thus young men could not marry. This Saint Valentine wore a ring with a Cupid on it, a symbol of love that soldiers used to identify him. In a forerunner to greeting cards, he distributed paper hearts to remind Christians of their devotion to God.
Saint Valentine became known as the patron saint of love as a result of this legend. The Saint Valentine prayer requests that Saint Valentine unite lovers so that two become one and the couple remembers their devotion to God.
💖💖💖It's not just St. Valentine's Day! Cupid, the winged baby boy frequently seen on Valentine's Day cards and merchandise, is another symbol of this love-filled holiday, and it's easy to see why. Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, in Roman mythology. He was known for shooting arrows at both gods and humans, causing them to fall madly in love.
💙💚💛💜💝💗
Valentine's Day is celebrated in various parts of the world :
💕South Korea and Japan: On Valentine's Day, women in Japan make the first move. When women buy chocolates for their male partners on Valentine's Day, it is the men who are treated to a special day.
💕Brazil - Instead of February 14, Brazilians celebrate Saint Anthony, the patron saint of marriage and matchmaking, on June 12.
💕Argentina: If you're a fan of Valentine's Day, Argentina is the place to be! They celebrate on February 14th, and then for an entire week in July—sweetness week—ending with Friendship Day.
💕China: China celebrates Valentine's Day on February 14th, but they also have their own traditional day. Qixi Festival occurs on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is usually in August.
💕Taiwan : Taiwan celebrates Valentine's Day and White Day, but they also have their own special day of love on July 7th. Men give beautiful flowers to women on this traditional holiday, and the color and number of flowers sent have different meanings.
💕Ghana : Ghana celebrates National Chocolate Day on February 14th. Tastings, dinners, and other events are held throughout Ghana to promote the country's top agricultural export, the cocoa bean.
💕Slovenia: Since St. Valentine is one of the patron saints of spring, February 14 is regarded as one of the best days for working in the fields in Slovenia. Slovenians typically commemorate romance on St. Gregory's Day, which falls on March 12, one month later.
#monthoflove
#loveisintheair
