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Almost all over the world on February 14, people have been celebrating Valentine's Day for many years. They give hearts to their soul mates, most often they delight with various romantic surprises. However, few people know who Saint Valentine is, where all these traditions came from and why they are so ardently honored in our time. Well, let's try to understand the history of this celebration, plunging into the depths of religion and mythology, as well as focusing on the traditions of various countries and peoples.

A retrospective of the legends about the origin of this saint

There are three legends about who Saint Valentine is. More precisely, three people are known under this name. The first is Valentin Rimsky, who worked in Rome as a clergyman. He died in the third century AD as a result of the persecution that took place during the collapse of the Roman Empire. The second character is Valentine, who also worked in Italy as a church bishop. He was executed in 270 and buried in the Third - a person completely unknown to people of our time. Some, however, believe that he was a warrior and died on a campaign against Carthage. With the advent of the Middle Ages, when all kinds of romance, art and other manifestations of beauty were under the strictest ban, people painted Valentine as an associate who promoted the church (Catholic) idea all over the world.

A beautiful fairy tale that could be true

Nowadays, there is the so-called "Golden Legend", which tells about who Saint Valentine is, where he lived and why he became the patron saint of all lovers. So, once ruling in the Roman Empire, Claudius II considered that young men were reluctant to enter his army. It seemed to him that it was their wives who did not let them go to war, so the emperor signed a decree banning weddings for every unmarried member of the stronger sex. Valentine was a local doctor, a preacher of Christianity. Along with this, he secretly married lovers. Once a man, whose daughter Julia was blind, approached him, and he prescribed an ointment for her. Later rumors of secret weddings reached Claudius, and Valentine was locked up in a dungeon. Knowing that he would be executed, he sent an envelope to Yulia, where, along with healing saffron, he left a message with the text “Your Valentine”. The former doctor was executed on February 14, and the girl, having opened the envelope, gained her sight. Officially, this holiday was included in the church canons in 496.

Inconsistencies in the most beautiful legend

The story of the celebration of Valentine's Day, which was outlined in the previous paragraph, cannot be true for several reasons. Firstly, the holy martyr himself lived in Rome in the third century AD, when wedding rites as such did not yet exist. This is primarily due to the fact that at the moment Christianity has not yet taken over in the Roman Empire, and all citizens, including the ruler, remained pagans. The spouses could do this both secretly and publicly, so such rumors could hardly reach the emperor. Although it is not worth stating with accuracy that every word in this legend is a fiction, since a saint with a similar name is fully recognized by the Catholic Church, and most often he is identified with a doctor who prayed for every sick person in the world and helped every person who asked him about healing.

The origin of Valentine's Day according to pagan theory

Some historians believe that this celebration was invented, like St. Valentine himself, in order to displace a very cruel pagan holiday from Roman traditions. According to a long tradition, the city of Rome was founded by the brothers - Romulus and Remus, who were fed with their milk by a she-wolf. That is why every year the inhabitants of the empire sacrificed one sheep (the food of wolves), as well as a dog (an animal that wolves hate). The skin of dead animals was divided into narrow thin belts, after which completely naked young guys whipped everyone who got in their way with them. It is noteworthy that young girls tried to fall under these blows, since it was believed that scars made it possible to successfully marry, bear and give birth to a child. In turn, the history of the appearance of Valentine's Day here is connected with the fact that these belts were called "februa", and the ritual itself was carried out in the middle of this February, which in the Romano-Germanic languages sounds like "februarium" and its other derivatives.

Love rituals associated with this celebration

In the form familiar to us, the holiday of all lovers began to be celebrated only in the 19th century in Great Britain. Of course, no one knew who Saint Valentine was, as well as the history of the origin of this entire ritual. For people, this has already become a simple entertainment, which appeared either at the behest or by some decree of the local government. However, every year on February 14, the young men pulled out notes from the drum, which indicated the names of the girls they knew. This is how the “couples” were formed, which during the year had to accept each other’s courtship, after which they could disperse or get married. Later, this tradition migrated to the United States, where it gained great popularity and new rules, many of which are well known to us today.

History of Valentine's Day in the 20th century

At the dawn of the new century, newly-minted merchants took up such entertainment. Thanks to them, heart-shaped postcards, specialized gift bouquets, sweets and other trifles appeared on sale. Also, the owners of restaurants and cafes began to organize certain programs, which could only be attended by couples in love. Gradually, this celebration has become a great opportunity to earn money by selling postcards, "valentines", flowers, good wine and other gifts that today, as a rule, men give to their beloved ladies. In the 21st century, in honor of such a holiday, they just do not suit. And DJ specialized sets, and films, and concerts, and many other events.

Traditions that depend on the culture of a particular country

Despite the fact that we now know who Saint Valentine is and that his homeland is Italy, the celebration held in his honor covers the whole world. In England, where the holiday was celebrated for the first time, today most of all they guess ... on birds. If on February 14 the first thing you see is a robin, then you will live happily ever after with a sailor. A sparrow is most often found in a poor groom, but a goldfinch is a clear messenger of a rich prince. When this holiday became the property of the Americans, their men took up the tradition of giving marzipan to their other halves. Today they are easily replaced with chocolate and other confectionery, but their color should remain red or white. the French do for their women - they present jewels and jewelry to those they love. But in Japan, citizens are limited only to chocolate. At the same time, this product is a manifestation of the purest love, and both a man and a woman can confess their feelings.

Brief conclusion

Such a mysterious and diverse origin of the holiday "Valentine's Day" has made it a worldwide celebration. In our country, he also gained popularity, but only with the beginning of the 1990s. Also, all over the world it is customary to believe that marriages concluded on February 14 will not only be happy, but also eternal.

Valentine's Day is also known as Valentine's Day, and more commonly referred to as Valentine's Day. The history of the holiday dates back to ancient times, and is closely connected with ancient Roman pagan practices. The forerunner of Valentine's Day is the cruel pagan holiday of Lupercalia, which was also celebrated on February 14th. On this day, the Romans made sacrifices to the goddess of feverish love and the god Faun. After the ceremony, the Romans made scourges from the skins of sacrificial animals, with which they went out into the streets and beat all the women they met with them. It was believed that flogging helped infertile women gain the ability to bear children. Subsequently, after the Christianization of Rome, the Lupercalia were banned.

Who is Saint Valentine

The personality of St. Valentine over the centuries has managed to acquire beautiful legends. Most historians agree that the ancestor of the holiday of all lovers was a field doctor and priest Valentine. He lived in the third century BC and served under the Roman Emperor Claudius II.

Lovers in Gorky Park in Moscow

Claudius II was a cruel dictator, and at some point came to the conclusion that unmarried men are not useful for the state, and therefore it is better for them to fight on the battlefield. For this reason, he soon forbade men to marry and girls to marry.

Valentine was a field doctor, and personally saw the suffering of soldiers, therefore, under the cover of night, he secretly married lovers. Soon, rumors reached the emperor, and Valentine was sentenced to death for his activities. In prison, Valentine met the warden's blind daughter Yulia and fell in love with her. Intoxicated with feelings, he wrote the first Valentine in history - a letter signed "Your Valentine". Unfortunately, the letter reached Julia only after the execution of Valentine, and he was executed on February 14, 269. And as the legend says, after reading Valentine's letter, Julia regained her sight.

Valentine's Day Customs

In America, on Valentine's Day, it is customary to give brides a red and white heart-shaped caramel. The red light symbolizes passion, while the white light symbolizes devotion and sincerity. In Italy, they also give each other sweets on Valentine's Day, and in France they delight each other with expensive jewelry.
In Japan, Valentine's Day is more of a men's holiday - only men receive gifts.

Signs for Valentine's Day

There are several folk signs for Valentine's Day. For example, if on this day you look at the sky and see a sparrow there, then you should beware of dishonorable suitors. And if a tit flies over you, then the husband will be faithful and family. A similar sign is associated with dogs: if a dog runs up to you on Valentine's Day and starts sniffing your boots, then the future husband will be a family man and henpecked. And if you meet a cat, then your spouse will be windy and unreliable.

The tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day came to the post-Soviet countries in the early 90s of the twentieth century. At that time, the day when Valentine's Day and Love Day are celebrated - February 14 - was an ordinary day in our calendar. The fall of the "Iron Curtain" allowed former Soviet citizens to join the world's festive culture, and since then we have a holiday of Love - St. Valentine's Day.

To answer the question: "Whose holiday and where did Valentine's Day come from?" - you need to look into the past. If you understand, then the traditions and history of the holiday for lovers originated in the era of Ancient Rome. The festival of Lupercalia, dedicated to the day of honoring the goddess of motherhood and marriage, Juno, was celebrated on February 14th. He enjoyed great popularity at that time.

In addition, pagan traditions of random creation of married couples were characteristic of many pagan cults. Married couples were created by lot from unmarried girls and boys. The formation of such pairs took place on this day.

And yet, according to legend, the real Valentine lived in the III century AD. during the reign of Emperor Claudius II of Gotha. He was a priest and a doctor who helped warriors in love - he secretly married them. For this he was arrested and sent to prison. There Valentine fell in love with the blind daughter of his overseer. Or maybe she fell in love with him ... 🙂 Unfortunately, this is not known for sure. But it is believed that Valentine's love healed the girl - her sight returned. But Valentine himself died, leaving before the execution, which took place exactly on February 14, a farewell message. In it, he wrote to the girl about his love and signed: "Your Valentine." This is where the so-called valentines came from.

The Middle Ages picked up ancient Roman traditions, connecting them with real history. February 14 was named after Saint Valentine by the decision of the Pope in 496. But, already today, in 1969, the name of Valentine as the protector of lovers was removed from the calendar of saints of the Roman Catholic Church, which casts doubt on the reality of the above events. Today, the name Valentine remains in the list of Christian saints, but he is not associated with the protector of lovers.

Having figured out how the Valentine's Day appeared, let's see what its essence is today, as well as who celebrates it and how.

And the essence of the holiday today is that on this day you can openly and safely express your feelings through valentines and small nice gifts. It is celebrated in almost all countries of the world. However, some Muslim countries, notably Saudi Arabia, have imposed an official ban on it.

In America, a traditional gift for Valentine's Day is marzipan figurines, sweets and heart-shaped cookies or gingerbread beautifully decorated with colored icing. It should be noted that Americans give love messages and gifts not only to their loved ones, but to their loved ones and just lonely people as a token of wishes for happiness.

Valentine's Day in England is celebrated differently. The British give red roses to their loved ones on this day. The flowers are similar to those given to Marie Antoinette on February 14 by Louis XVI. There is a sign that English girls can see their betrothed through the window on this day. But the strangest thing, from our point of view, is the custom of giving messages and gifts to your pets. And another tradition, to give wooden “spoons of love” decorated with keys and hearts, also originated in England a very long time ago.

Refined French people present serenades, poetic messages and jewelry made in the shape of a heart to their loved ones.

In Japan, after Valentine's Day, during which it is girls who give gifts, White Day follows. It is celebrated on March 14th. This time it is the girls who receive return gifts from the guys. The main gift is white chocolate. Reciprocal gifting occurs on the principle of a threefold increase in the value of the gift.

Valentine's Day in post-Soviet countries is celebrated not so long ago. The attitude of the church to this holiday is not unambiguous. Indeed, even among Catholics, now, Valentine's Day has passed into the category of national holidays. And in Orthodox culture, Peter and Fevronia are officially considered the patrons of the family and marriage. However, this does not prevent all lovers, young and old, on February 14 from exchanging gifts or just valentines with confessions of sincere friendship and love.

For more on where the story of Valentine's Day, the patron saint of lovers, came from, see this short video.

You can congratulate your dear people on the day of Love using.

The history of Valentine's Day - who came up with celebrating Valentine's Day - the history of the holiday

The tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day, aka Valentine's Day, came to us from the West. On this day, lovers give each other gifts, tender postcards - valentines, and, of course, declare their love. The history of this holiday is interesting.

History of Valentine's Day

First version

There is a beautiful legend about the origin of Valentine's Day. According to this legend, Claudius II - the Roman emperor, ruling in the third century AD, was an ardent opponent of marriage alliances, because they prevented his legionnaires from conquering countries. Therefore, the emperor issued a decree that forbade marriage. The priest Valentine, contrary to the decree, nevertheless continued to secretly marry lovers. For this, he was thrown into prison, after which he was sentenced to death. The young daughter of the jailer, seeing the priest and learning his story, fell in love with him. Valentine reciprocated her. But since it was not possible to see each other, the lovers communicated through correspondence. On February 14, 270, the day of the execution, the priest sent his last love note to his beloved, signed "From Valentine."

Second version

According to another version of the legend of the origin of the holiday of all lovers, the head of the prison where Valentine was imprisoned for his "criminal" deeds, accidentally found out about the healing abilities of the prisoner, after which he brought his blind daughter Julia to Valentine. On the terrible day of the execution, Valentine wrote a farewell love note to Julia. Having received it, the girl found yellow saffron inside, and an unprecedented miracle happened - she received her sight.

Several early Christian holy martyrs are known under the name Valentine. One of them is Valentine, a Roman priest who was executed around 269 AD. Another famous Saint Valentine was the Bishop of Interamna. This saint was famous for his miraculous healings. He was executed for converting the mayor's son to Christianity. Perhaps the legend refers to this particular saint. The romantic holiday of February 14 in memory of the saints was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496.

Already in 1969, after the introduction of the reform of worship, St. Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church (along with other Roman saints, information about whose life is contradictory and unreliable). On February 14, the Catholic Church honors the memory of Saints Cyril and Methodius. And the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the Presbyter of Rome Valentine on July 6 (19).

Feast of the Lupercalia

According to one legend, the roots of Valentine's Day go back to pagan times. Many believe that the "predecessor" of this holiday was the so-called Lupercalia - a holiday of abundance and eroticism, which was held in ancient Rome in honor of the patron god of the flocks of Faun (Luperka) and the goddess of "feverish" love Juno Februata on February 15.

Young girls wrote love notes to guys and put them in a special bowl for drawing lots. The man who took out this note was supposed to look after the one who wrote it. Interestingly, on this day, men whipped women on the street with whips made from the skin of a sacrificial goat. It was believed that this should have contributed to the greater fertility of women, so they were loyally exposed to cruel blows.

In 494 AD Pope Gelasius I "moved" the celebration of the Lupercalia from February 15 to February 14. Thus, it coincided with the day of veneration of St. Valentine. However, the celebration of the Lupercalia soon faded away.

Mating season for birds

The celebration of Valentine's Day in February is also associated with the beginning of the mating season of birds. It has long been believed that the conclusion of a marriage at this time will make it long and happy.

Pagan holiday "Ivan Kupala"

It is traditionally believed that the holiday of all lovers came to our country from the West. However, celebrations, somewhat similar to the Roman Lupercalia, have been in Rus' since ancient times. So, since ancient times, we have celebrated the famous Kupala Day, which falls on July 7, or rather, on the night of the sixth to the seventh of July, or according to the old calendar, on the night of the twenty-third to twenty-fourth of June. The holiday was dedicated to the day of the summer solstice, as well as to the pagan Slavic sun god Kupala. People honored the Sun, the maturity of summer, the green mowing. Young people girded themselves with bandages of flowers, and put wreaths on their heads. They danced and sang songs. Then, in connection with the adoption of Christianity in Rus', this pagan holiday was replaced by the veneration of the memory of John the Baptist, since the day of the Nativity of John the Baptist coincided with the pagan holiday of Kupala. This holiday was given the name "Ivan Kupala", as we know it today.

Commemoration of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom

On July 8 (June 25 according to the old calendar), the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, the glorious patrons of love and family happiness.

However, massively on February 14 as a celebration of Valentine's Day in the Old World, that is, in Europe, it has been celebrated since the 13th century, while in America since 1777. Valentine's Day is secular (not religious).

We congratulate you on St. Valentine's Day and wish you simple human happiness, whose name is love! Always give your loved ones charming smiles, and then life will be even brighter!

Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14, is celebrated in our country relatively recently, only a couple of decades, while in Europe it has long traditions and roots dating back to the history of the ancient world.

How is Valentine's Day celebrated?

The external manifestations of this holiday are known to everyone: in a couple of weeks, all the counters are full of hearts of all shapes and sizes, everyone gives each other the so-called "valentines" - postcards, also made in the form of hearts. Traditionally, most of them are anonymous, and the recipient is asked to guess who the sender is on their own. However, it is believed that these postcards appeared much later than the holiday itself, whose age is about 18 centuries, while The wife of the Duke of Orleans received the first Valentine in 1415.. He was in prison, and decided in such an original way to show his love for his lawful wife. Who would have thought that the fashion for them would go so far and last so long! Some muster up the courage and confess their love on this day. Many, in addition to traditional souvenirs, give something more substantial, but this differs from the classical canons of the holiday.

The classic version of the origin of Valentine's Day

Today, probably, only the lazy one, or the one who completely denies what is happening these days, does not know her. This story happened, as the legend says, because there is no documentary evidence for all the events described below, and hardly existed, in 269 AD. Then Emperor Claudius II ruled, and Christianity was a very young religion. Then the adherents of Christianity were still persecuted by the worshipers of paganism, and Christian marriage, in the modern sense, almost did not exist. However, there was some christian priest valentine, who not only performed the sacrament of Christian marriage - he married legionnaires, to whom marriage bonds were prohibited by the nature of their service in general. As the legends say, the priest was not just a religious figure of that time, he was also engaged in science and medicine, and also dealt with the fact that he settled conflicts and quarrels between lovers. Some legends say that he was an ordinary ordinary priest, some believe that he was a bishop, be that as it may, his activities did not go unnoticed by the authorities, and he went to prison, after which he was executed. Judging by some sources, love did not bypass him either, and already in prison he learned about this feeling that the blind daughter of the jailer had for the saint. She wrote him a letter, where she confessed her ardent passion, but since the priest could not take off his vow of celibacy, all actions on his part were limited to a touching letter that the girl received on the eve of his execution, February 13. However, there is a more optimistic, but less real version, according to which Valentine and this girl had mutual feelings for each other. Moreover, on the night before the execution, using his knowledge in medicine, he cured his beloved of blindness, after which he already went to the execution, which was carried out by cutting off the head with a sword. The priest who accepted death for his convictions was canonized, having been made a saint, and since the 8th century in Western Europe, February 14 was considered the feast of all lovers. In America, they began to celebrate it a little later, since 1777, and even more so in Russia: as already mentioned, we became aware of it about 20 years ago.

The external attributes of the holiday remain almost unchanged throughout the entire time that it is celebrated: hearts, hearts and hearts again, sweets, postcards and souvenirs are made in the form of them.

The meaning of the holiday has changed somewhat over time. So, in the Middle Ages in Britain, both in its English and Scottish parts, a kind of lottery was arranged on this day, pulling out the name of a beloved for a year. Thus, the holiday was important not only for couples, but also for those who have not yet found happiness in love, and thus gave the latter hope for happiness. Today, the official Catholic Church does not recognize Saint Valentine., and does not celebrate this day. The explanation is the lack of substantiated information on this issue, because all the data regarding the circumstances of the case and the personality of the priest are in the nature of myths and fairy tales, and do not have documented sources. The only thing known is the way the priest was executed. Guided by these data, or rather their absence, since 1969 the Catholic Church has excluded this holiday from the officially approved ones, it has not supported and does not support the traditions of its celebration. Today it is fashionable to get married on this day, it is believed that such a marriage will be strong and happy, and love in it will be eternal.

Another version of the appearance of Valentine's Day

This option is not at all romantic, and therefore not popular. The origins of this version also refer to antiquity, and is connected with the fact that earlier in mid-February it was necessary celebration of lupercalia- a holiday of female fertility, widely celebrated in ancient Rome. As part of the celebration, women stripped naked and put their bodies under the blows of whips, which were also distributed by naked Romans running through the streets of the city. It was believed that to receive your portion of blows is to ensure high fertility and easy childbirth, which was especially appreciated with the level of medicine of that time. Rome, as a state, in every possible way encouraged the manifestations of this holiday, since it was believed that as a result, even the most hopeless representatives of the human race acquired the ability to bear children. In those days, infant mortality, both in childbirth and in the first year of life, had a terrifying level, which more than once put Rome on the brink of extinction. Such a holiday dedicated to the goddess of "feverish" love "and the Faun, the patron saint of herds, each year led to a surge in the birth rate, which was welcomed by the state. With the advent of Christianity on the world stage, more than one holiday was transformed and took on a more civilized appearance. This custom did not bypass the lupercalia, where pagan roots were disguised by a civilized Christian cover. However, not all historians support this version, many of them believe that these two holidays are connected only by the fact that they relate to love and coincide chronologically, having completely different origins and manifestations.

How Valentine's Day was celebrated at different times

Everyone knows how this day is celebrated today, but people did not come to this order immediately, and in different countries it was celebrated in different ways.

England

In this country, as mentioned above, a kind of lottery was held on this day: on Valentine's Day, young people pulled out tickets with the names of their companions for the next year. Many couples created on this day formalized their relationship in the future, those who were unlucky got another chance the next year. This fun was the lot of the common people, and the aristocrats amused themselves on this day by trying to outdo each other with the splendor and richness of gifts presented to their mistresses.

Giving gifts to wives on Valentine's Day was considered the height of indecency. The first Valentine, however, was presented in England, and it was to the legal wife, as mentioned above.

In general, this holiday in Britain was so popular that servants in rich houses could abandon their work while waiting for mail with heartfelt messages, and not be subjected to cruel punishment.

America

Until the 18th century, poverty and its accompanying puritanical customs reigned in this country, severely limiting the number of holidays and entertainment. For a long time they did not even celebrate Easter and Christmas there, not finding direct permission in the Holy Scriptures to mess around on this day. Even Thanksgiving was only a day for the Presbyterian church, and was celebrated with great restraint. Needless to say, St. Valentine's Day did not fit into the strict and Spartan way of those centuries at all, however, when the traditions of celebrating it with roses and postcards gradually penetrated from across the ocean, Americans liked it. By that time, a fairly good level of prosperity had already been achieved in the country, and commerce was connected to the production of hearts and other holiday accessories. Their production and sale were put on stream, and soon its celebration began to be carried out on a large scale.

Japan

In this country, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated after the end of World War II, when Japan, until that time completely closed from the rest of the world, began to transfer American and European traditions into its life. However, here the celebration has its own characteristics: firstly, most gifts and souvenirs were made from chocolate, and secondly, it has historically developed that for the most part it was the day of men, they were mostly presented with sweet gifts. At present, this trend has continued.

Do you know what no one will tolerate? Savings, even on small things! What is the best birthday greeting for a teacher? about it in our article. What kind of breakfast can you make on Valentine's Day if you don't know how to cook? At the following address, we have prepared some simple recipes for you.

Germany

St. Valentine's Day also penetrated into this country after the end of the war, and basically its celebration was carried out in European traditions, but had its own bias. So from the beginning of the celebration it was customary that this day was not just a holiday for lovers, but also for those who intended to enter into legal marriage. These young people were supposed to come to the bishop of the area where they lived on February 14 and ask him for an official blessing for the marriage procedures. It was believed that such a marriage would be more durable and happy. At present, the custom has been preserved only for religious couples, which, however, are many in Germany. In conclusion, we offer you a short video in which we will also learn a little about the traditions of celebrating Valentine's Day in Ancient Rome and how it is done in our time in different countries of the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-GH-hvEtvY