Just 2 days are left. Day after tomorrow is Valentiné's Day. It's party time again. Let's throw some light on the history of this day.
Valentine's Day, also called Saint
Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is
celebrated annually on February 14. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honoring
one or more early saints named Valentinus,
Valentine's Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and
commercial celebration of romance in
many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any
country.
Martyrdom stories
associated with various Valentines connected to February 14 are presented
in martyrologies, including
a writtenaccount of Saint Valentine of Rome's imprisonment for
performing weddings for soldiers, who were forbidden to marry, and for
ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire. According
to legend, during his
imprisonment Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his judge, and
before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as
a farewell.
The
day first became associated with romantic love within
the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when
the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century
England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other
by presenting flowers, offering confectionery,
and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").
In Europe, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers
"as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart",
as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy(called
Saint Valentine's Malady). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today
include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the
figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have
given way to mass-produced greeting cards.
Saint
Valentine's Day is an official feast day in
the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. Many
parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also
celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6 and July 30, the former date
in honor of the Roman presbyterSaint Valentine, and the latter date in honor
of Hieromartyr Valentine,
the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).
