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The History of Valentine’s Day: Where Did it Come From?

Valentine’s Day is a prominent date in people’s minds each year, but where did the concept of Valentine’s day come from and why do we celebrate it on February 14th, or at all?

Where did Valentine’s Day come from?

Valentine’s Day originated from a Roman Priest with the name Valentine. When Emperor Claudius II made it illegal for young men to marry due to the thought that they performed better in war if they were unmarried, Valentine took pity on the young soldiers who were in love and married them in secret instead.

When Emperor Claudius found out what he was doing he sent Valentine to jail to await the death penalty. It is here that it is thought he sent letters signed “From your Valentine” to the girl he loved, which most probably lead to the tradition of sending cards on Valentine’s Day.

Why February 14th?

Others believe that Valentine’s Day originated from the Church’s idea of ‘Christianising’ the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman God of Agriculture and the Roman Founders Romulus and Remus. This was held on February 15th until the end of the 5th century when Pope Gelasius banned the festival and declared the 14th February St Valentine’s Day, after the alleged date of Valentine’s death.

Valentine’s Day Traditions

A bunch of red roses

Today, as previously mentioned, it is common to send cards on Valentine’s Day. It is also popular to give your Valentine a long-stemmed red rose. This is because giving roses was favoured by the Victorians over sending cards as they thought it was bad luck to sign your name in a Valentine’s Card.

That is not to say that cards weren’t sent, and in fact a lot of time and care went into producing intricate cards to give loved ones.


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