February 14th. Valentine's Day. Why?
Valentine's Day, also called Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, is a commemorative date in which the loving union between couples and/or lovers is celebrated.
Celebrated all over the world on February 14th (there are some exceptions), in some countries it is a day to show affection between friends, instead of boyfriends and it is common to exchange cards and gifts ranging from, just cards and flowers to the traditional boxes of chocolates.
But here the question to answer is this. Why February 14th and why Valentine's Day?
The Source
In fact, its origin is lost in time. For some it has to do with the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, celebrated on February 15th, for others it has its origins in Saint Valentine.
But who will be right and why two probable origins for its beginning?
The Story Behind Valentine's Day
Let's start with the most recent origin, the myth of Saint Valentine, and then we'll move on to the Lupercalia festival (older) and it's up to our readers to decide which is the most likely origin.
St. Valentine's Day
During his reign, Emperor Claudius II (268-270) forbade the celebration of marriages during the period of wars, as he believed that if men remained single, they would be better soldiers, as they would not have built family ties.
Bishop Valentim fought against the orders of Emperor Claudius II and, contrary to the Emperor's orders, continued to celebrate (Catholic) marriages in secret. Inevitably, the practice was discovered and the Bishop was arrested and sentenced to death.
While he was in prison, many young people threw flowers and notes at him into his cell saying that, despite everything, they still believed in love. According to legend, Valentine fell in love with the blind daughter of a jailer who treated him with all kindness.
Before being taken to the scaffold, Bishop Valentim gave the young woman a love letter in which he said goodbye to her, signing “from your Valentine”. Miraculously, the blind young woman regains her sight, being able to read the letter and proclaim that Valentine was her boyfriend.
Considered a martyr by the Catholic Church, and as such canonized a Saint, the date of his death, February 14, began to be commemorated in his honor, becoming known as Saint Valentine's Day.
This date was celebrated for centuries by the Catholic Church, until it was removed from the traditional liturgical calendar, in 1969, after the Second Vatican Council.
This removal is in line with similar ones, in which all saints of dubious origin were removed from the traditional liturgical calendar, that is, where there was controversy as to their origin, making it impossible to distinguish facts from myths.
the lupercalia
Lupercalia was an ancient Roman pastoral festival that continued to be practiced even after the Christianization of the Roman Empire. Its purpose was to purify cities and promote health and fertility, being dedicated to the goddess Juno and the god Pan.
It was celebrated annually in days Februatus, so named in honor of the instruments of purification called fever, used in the ritual.
This date was so important that when the Roman calendar was conceived, the month in which the feast took place was called FEBRUARIUS (February) and the day of the festivities became the 15th of that month.
Now, but if it's the 15th of February, what does it have to do with the 14th? The answer is even quite simple. It turns out that one of the rituals of this festival was the fertility march that took place the day before, precisely on the 14th of February.
On that date, the priests walked through the city and beat all the women they met along the way, with goatskin straps, to ensure their fecundity.
This ritual was considered so barbaric that in the reign of Emperor Anastasius, Pope Gelasius I (492-496) claimed that only the “vile rabble” were involved in the festival and tried to abolish it by force. However, the Senate protested, stating that Lupercalia was essential to the safety and well-being of Rome.
Angered by the Senate's decision, the Pope contemptuously stated:
“Since you affirm that this rite has a salutary force, celebrate it in the ancestral way; run after the women naked, so that they can carry out the mockery properly.”
There is no record that Gelasio managed to abolish Lupercalia, but in reality the 14th of February became the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which led to a later literary association between Lupercalia and the romantic elements of the Valentine's Day, an association that dates back to Chaucer and the poetic traditions of courtly love.
Interestingly, it was Pope Gelasius I who canonized Saint Valentine and assigned him the day of February 14 as his commemoration in the traditional liturgical calendar.
In a way, this canonization invalidates the story of Valentine's Day having its origin in St. However, this did not happen, because at that time there was no association between Saint Valentine and Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day around the world
Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world on February 14th, however there are some exceptions.
In Brazil, the date comes from the hand of the publicist João Doria who introduced it to São Paulo merchants starting on June 12, 1949 (the eve of the day of Saint Anthony, the holy Matchmaker) a campaign with the slogan “it is not only with kisses that you proves love”, passing from that date to being celebrated Valentine's Day.
In France, it is celebrated between the 12th and 14th of February.
In China, Valentine's Day is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
In Spain, the day of Saint Dionysus, the patron saint of love, is celebrated on October 9th.
In Romania, it is celebrated on February 24, the day of the beginning of spring, therefore, the day of lovers.
In Finland, despite the fact that the 14th of February is celebrated, it is not called Valentine's Day but Friends' Day.
Conclusion
But why is the date of Valentine's Day celebrated on February 14th, why is it associated with Saint Valentine and why has it become traditional to send letters, postcards or notes to the other half?
It all started in France in the Middle Ages.
At that time, the tradition of Lupercalia was maintained through a rite of exchanging messages of love left on the doorstep of your loved one. This exchange of messages took place on the 14th of February as it was supposed to be the first day of mating of the birds, so the ideal day for the lovers' meetings, as such, was known as Valentine's Day.
In the 14th century, the English and French began to celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, held on February XNUMX, together with the traditional Valentine's Day, in which there was the practice of exchanging tickets, thus creating an association between the two that remained until the present day.
A century later, the date was adopted in the United States, becoming the Saint Valentine's Day, being recovered in 1840 by Esther Howland who, through a strong advertising campaign, managed to sell $5.000 worth of Valentine's Day cards, a hefty sum at the time.
From that date, the tradition of sending cards on Valentine's Day continued to grow and, in the XNUMXth century, spread to the rest of the world.
What do you think of this day? Are you going to celebrate Valentine's Day or are you going to watch "birdies"? We want your opinion, do not hesitate to comment and if you liked the article share and give a “like”
See also:
March 19 is Father's Day and World Craftsman's Day
February 14th is not just Valentine's Day
February 13th is World Radio Day
11 February is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Picture: © 2022 Francisco Lopes-Santos
