The History of Valentine's Day
The true origins of Valentine's Day remain unclear, both in terms of the date it is celebrated on and the history of Saint Valentine itself. However, the various myths surrounding this holiday have converged throughout history to center around the universal theme of Love .
Why February 14?
First clue, the Lupercalia, a Roman pagan festival celebrating Faunus between February 13 and 15 , during which a goat was sacrificed in the Lupercal cave at the foot of the Palatine Hill. This was followed by a frantic race of Faunus priests through the streets trying to touch every passerby with the pieces of goat skin.
This had the effect of making young women more fertile and also making childbirth easier.
Pope Gelasius I , in the 5th century, wanted to counter this pagan festival by marking Saint Valentine's Day on the 14th, the eve of Lupercalia.
Second clue: in the 14th century, in Great Britain , tradition made this day the lovers' festival because it corresponded to the period when birds began to pair .
Valentine's Day seemed to be a natural time to court someone's other half. On this occasion, young people exchanged love letters in which they called each other Valentine or Valentine.
Modernize the tradition of the love note by offering your Valentine a candle holder with a love message that you will find in our Cupid selection .
Why Valentine's Day?
Legend has it that in the 3rd century, Emperor Claudius II decided to ban marriages. His goal was to prevent men from choosing to stay with their wives instead of going to war.
A monk named Valentine of Terni continued to perform marriages in defiance of this ban. The emperor had him arrested and imprisoned.
From this tragic event, a romance was born between Valentine of Terni and his jailer's daughter, Julia . The young woman, being blind, came to visit the monk so that he could describe the world to her.
As they meet, love only grows between them until a miracle happens: Julia regains her sight.
Claudius II , who was not long in hearing about the miracle, did not appreciate the praise it created for Christianity. He then decided to have the monk executed. Valentin of Terni then became a martyr and was canonized as Saint Valentine.
It seems that in Italy, as in England, this time of year is charged with this natural intention of fertility, of union , in order to perpetuate life. And love remains the initiating force of this movement!
