Valentine's Day history of origin. Valentines day is the history of the origin of the holiday. How Valentine's Day was celebrated at different times

Valentine's Day is celebrated annually on February 14 in most countries of the world: for more than one and a half thousand years, millions of people have confessed their love to each other on this day. Sputnik tells the most interesting stories about the origin of Valentine's Day.

Ancient Roman Lupercalia

One version of the origin of Valentine's Day says that it was transformed from the Lupercalia festival, dedicated to fertility and named after the patron god of the flocks, the god Faun (also called Luperc). It was celebrated every year on February 15th.

According to tradition, on this day, men sacrificed animals, made peculiar whips from their skins, stripped naked and ran around the city, hitting every woman they met on the way with them. Women, on the other hand, were willingly exposed to blows: it was believed that a blow with a whip on this day would give fertility. The ritual was extremely common in Rome: there is evidence that even members of noble families participated in it.

Later, it became so popular that it survived many pagan traditions that disappeared with the advent of Christianity. It is worth noting that many historians deny the connection between the Roman "festival" and the later Christian celebration and consider it nothing more than a guess.

Golden legend about the patron saint of all lovers

The most romantic story about Saint Valentine is connected with the prohibition of the powerful Roman emperor Claudius II to marry: he believed that men who were not burdened with a family would fight with great zeal on the battlefield.

Saint Valentine was a priest and, according to some sources, a doctor. Out of pity for the unfortunate lovers, he secretly married them (and also reconciled those who quarreled and helped those who were not eloquent to write love letters).

When the emperor found out about his activities, the priest was put in prison and sentenced to death. There, Valentine met the beautiful daughter of a prison guard, who fell in love with him. Some legends contain information that, due to the vow of celibacy, the priest could not respond to her feelings, but on the eve of the execution (February 13), he wrote a love letter to the girl, signing "Your Valentine".

Another legend about Saint Valentine

Another version says that Valentine was a noble Roman patrician and a secret Christian who converted his servants to the new faith. Once he performed a wedding ceremony for lovers, but all three were detained by guards.

Being a representative of the upper class, Valentine could have avoided execution, but chose to give his life for the newlyweds. He wrote letters to fellow believers in the form of red hearts, symbolizing Christian love. The last letter, consecrated by faith and kindness, just before the execution, Valentine handed over to a blind girl who received her sight and became a beauty. This may be the origin of the modern tradition of giving valentines.

By the way, Valentine was canonized as a saint, but in the second half of the 20th century, the celebration of the day of his memory as a church saint was stopped, and, transforming the calendar of saints, the Roman Catholic Church removed his name from there, not finding any exact information about the martyr.

The history of the Valentine card

The creation of the very first valentine is also attributed to the Duke of Orleans, who wrote love letters from a London dungeon to his wife.

They gained popularity already in the 18th century, especially in England: there, as gifts, they exchanged postcards made of multi-colored paper, signed with colorful ink.

In the second half of the 3rd century AD, in the Italian city of Terni, there lived a priest named Valentine. The young Christian was kind and sympathetic; in his spare time from preaching, he practiced medicine and helped people. At that time, the vast Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor Claudius II - a sworn pagan and a great lover of war with recalcitrant neighbors. Noticing that the once valiant and brave legionnaires, who themselves were rushing into battle, began to devote much more time to their families, children and households, the emperor did not think of anything but to issue a completely insane law.
"From now on, men do not have the right to marry, because the thoughts of a married warrior are busy with the wrong things!" - said Claudius and that's it. The townspeople, of course, grumbled, but did not argue with the first person in the state. However, his majesty's unpretentious plan was in no hurry to pretend to be a reality. Instead of thinking about the good of the empire, which had already successfully entered a period of decline, and fighting unnecessary wars in no one but the emperor, the soldiers, as before, fell in love with charming Roman women and married them, only now secretly. And the brave Valentine, not afraid of the imperial wrath, married the legionnaires in love. Moreover, sometimes he helped tongue-tied warriors to competently compose love letters, and if they quarreled with their passions, he certainly reconciled them. The priest performed the ceremonies at his home. In the semi-darkness, by the light of a single candle, the bride and groom took an oath of love and fidelity, listening to every rustle. Hiding a wedding in a small town was no easier than an awl in a bag, so alarming rumors soon began to reach the emperor. Literally obsessed with Roman law, law-abiding patricians, of course, could not endure such impudence. Clouds gathered over Valentine, and at the end of 269, the imperial guard broke into the house of the priest. Fortunately, the couple that Valentine was combining at that moment managed to escape. The arrested man was shackled and thrown into prison. Enraged Claudius did not take long to sign the death warrant.

The last days the priest spent in prayer and tried not to lose heart. Many people passed by the prison in which Valentine was imprisoned, they all sympathized with the priest, tried their best to support him - notes with words of gratitude and flowers flew through the cell window. One of the visitors of the famous prisoner was the daughter of a prison guard. Hearing a touching story about secret marriages, Julia was fascinated by Valentine's courage and immediately fell in love with him, although she did not have the opportunity to look at her chosen one - the girl was blind from birth. Not daring to break the celibacy dinner, Valentine did not reciprocate her feelings, but on the day of the execution, he sent her a short letter with a declaration of love and the signature "From Valentine". This is where the tradition of giving Valentines came from. According to legend, having received a valentine, the warden's daughter received her sight in an instant. Valentine was executed on February 14, 269. The church named him the holy great martyr, and the lovers made him their patron. On the same day, the entire Roman Empire celebrated the holiday of the goddess of love and marriage, Juno - also a kind of pagan Valentine's Day.

It is said that every spring at the tomb of St. Valentine, near one of the Roman churches, a pink almond tree blooms - a symbol of true love.

Valentine? Love is in the air, and people confess their feelings. To do this, you don’t even need to pronounce words, you can say everything with an eloquent look, and you will undoubtedly be understood. Romance, flowers, gifts, heart-shaped sweets and burning loving eyes... Do you know where and when Valentine's Day came to us?

history of the holiday

This holiday has existed for a very long time - more than 1500 years. So, on February 14, Valentine's Day in Europe began to be celebrated somewhere from the 13th century. America joined in the celebrations in 1777. The countries of the former Soviet Union discovered Valentine's Day only in the early 90s.

So, whose holiday is this and why is it called that?

This story begins in 269 in the Roman Empire. Then the state was ruled by the stern emperor Claudius II. And the main goal of the Empire was the conquest of lands. The sovereign-commander was faced with the problem of a shortage of soldiers in the army for military campaigns. And Claudius II found an explanation for this - marriages. The emperor came to the conclusion that the legionnaires, whose wives and children are waiting at home, are less interested in the victories of the Motherland. Where should they think about conquests when they need to take care of feeding their families. And Claudius II found a wonderful, as he thought, way out: he issued a decree prohibiting marriages. Thus, he tried to maintain the soldier's morale.

However, the ban on creating a family could not prevent men from falling in love. And, fortunately for the legionnaires, there was a man in the empire who supported them. It was a Christian priest from the city of Terni - Valentin. Despite the emperor's strict ban, he secretly held wedding ceremonies for legionnaires with their lovers in his church. Probably, Valentine was a real romantic, since he not only connected people by marriage, but also assisted lovers in every possible way: he helped compose tender messages and gave flowers on behalf of the legionnaires to the objects of their passion.

Of course, everything came out and became known to the Emperor. And since in the Roman Empire the law was above all, the activity of the priest was sharply suppressed. Valentine was put behind bars. And soon the emperor signed a decree on the execution of the priest.

The last days of Valentine, which he spent in prison, are shrouded in a halo of romance. It is said that the daughter of the head of the guard was in love with him. However, Valentine, who gave to answer her feelings, could not. On the last night before the hanging on February 13, he sent her a letter in which he told about his feelings. The girl read the message only after the execution of her lover.

Saint Valentine

Valentine's Day is named after him. Of course, there is no evidence that everything was exactly as described above. After all, no material evidence of this has been preserved. But it is clear that the young Christian priest died in the name of love. And for his short life, he was given so much of this feeling: love for a beautiful woman, for God, for the people he helped. He was a wonderful man with a huge soul, striving to do good. No wonder Valentine's Day is named after him.

Later, the Catholic Church considered Valentine a Christian martyr who died for the faith, and recognized him as a saint. And in 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th to be Valentine's Day.

However, with the liturgical reform of 1969, Saint Valentine was removed from the Catholic liturgical church calendar. They did the same with some other saints, about whose life there was no reliable information. However, even before that time, the church did not particularly approve of the celebration of this day.

Celebrations of love

Valentine's Day is a holiday that has existed for over 16 centuries. However, since the 18th century and much earlier, a wide variety of national celebrations of love have been known.

There is a version that the first was the Roman festival of eroticism Lupercalia. It was held in honor of the goddess Februat, who was considered a symbol of "feverish" love. The purpose of this celebration was to find your other half. Therefore, after its completion, many new marriages were created.

The day before the holiday of Lupercalia, which was held on February 15, they celebrated the triumph of the Roman goddess of motherhood, marriage and women - Juno. On this day, all unmarried girls had to write and put it in a large urn. And the men - pull out the letter. It was believed that every man had to look after that beauty, whose ardent and passionate message he got.

In ancient Greece, the holiday was called Panurgy. It was a festival held in honor of the deity Pan, who was considered the patron of herds, fields and fertility. Pan was portrayed as a little merry fellow, playing the flute and chasing the beautiful nymphs with his love.

All of the above is a pagan contribution to Valentine's Day. Whose holiday served as the basis, it is not possible to determine. Most likely, the pagan traditions of different peoples are reflected in the modern celebration.

valentine

At the end of the 17th century, an English court chronicler wrote that Valentine's Day is a holiday during which lovers can exchange passionate notes, give each other all kinds of gifts, such as rings, sweets, gloves, cakes, etc. But there was an important condition: All souvenirs are in the shape of a heart. Whether this was actually so is unknown, but, most likely, it was from there that the tradition of sending special messages on such a day - valentines - came from.

Today, this word refers to love letters in the form of hearts. You can't sign a valentine. The recipient himself must guess who it is from.

On Valentine's Day, people want to show their feelings and tenderness to their soulmate. They give roses symbolizing love, send cute cards, make an offer. This is the celebration of love all over the world. But every country has its own Valentine's Day traditions.

and Italy

On February 14, it is traditional for both the French and Italians to give flowers and gifts. The difference lies, perhaps, in the choice of the latter.

In France, jewelry is considered the best gift for Valentine's Day. In extreme cases, jewelry is also suitable. The French were the first to come up with original and popular all over the world congratulations on Valentine's Day today - rhymed quatrains. France is a country of love. And its inhabitants justify such a name. February 14 is an abundance of flowers, gifts, pink and declarations of love.

An Italian holiday is a sweet day. Traditionally, it is customary to arrange a sweet treat for your loved ones. Therefore, cakes, sweets, chocolate, yogurt and other goodies are used.

Love and Germany

What is Valentine's Day in Germany? You will be surprised. But February 14 for the Germans is a holiday for the mentally ill.

On this day, divine services are held throughout the country, where people can pray for the health of mentally ill loved ones, as well as for the repose of Valentine's soul. Orderlies decorate the wards and corridors of psychiatric hospitals with scarlet ribbons. Therefore, if you see a beautifully decorated building on this day, you should know that this is a "psychiatric hospital".

But lately, German youth have been striving to imitate the rest of the world. And let unofficially, but still celebrates the holiday of love. In Germany, a pig is added to the traditional European symbols of celebration. All sorts of figurines in the shape of this animal, chocolates, soft toys and much more are used.

Celebrations in the USA and Canada

The traditions of Valentine's Day in America are basically similar to those in Europe. But still, the main gift for loved ones on this day is red roses. Statistics showed that in the States on February 14, 20,000 roses are sold per minute. And more than a million of these beautiful flowers are bought per day!

Children also rejoice in the holiday - the script for all school productions and plays. The guys dress up as angels and distribute valentines addressed to both classmates and teachers. By the way, there are a lot of weddings in the USA on this day. Especially popular is the famous city of Las Vegas, located in the state of Nevada.

In Canada, on February 14, a girl can propose to her beloved man. And if he decides to refuse, sanctions await him: from a fine to imprisonment! This does not apply to those representatives of the stronger sex who have already found their soul mate. But if a person is free and decides to refuse a lady in love with him, he will be dragged to the "jailhouse".

Love Festival in Britain

Real English gentlemen give their ladies roses. And definitely scarlet. And women who have not yet found their lover prefer to do fortune telling. It is believed that if you stand near the window on the morning of February 14 and look at the empty street, then the first passerby who appears on the horizon will look like a future husband. If the girl has time to call him, then he can even become one.

The English are famous for their quirks. They congratulate not only their soul mates, but also their pets. Horses and dogs are especially fond of. On February 14, you can buy heart-shaped food in pet stores to please your pets.

Love Day in Japan

This holiday in Japan is somewhat similar to our day on February 23rd. Japanese men receive much more gifts on this day than women. The girls give their lovers wallets, razors and the obligatory Honmei chocolate. Such sweet gifts appeared thanks to the largest confectionery factory with the same name. It is believed that chocolate "Honmei" can only be given to the most beloved man. So it's kind of a confession.

In Japan, a competition is held on February 14 every year. Young people rise to a special podium and shout words of love to their girls, as much as they can. Of course, the winner will receive a valuable prize.

Love Traditions of Denmark and Holland

On this day, festive parties are held throughout Denmark dedicated to St. Valentine and all lovers. Numerous concerts, game shows, exhibitions are arranged. The whole country is celebrating. The Danes have an interesting tradition. On Valentine's Day, men send a dried flower with which the beloved is associated. So girls learn a lot about themselves and about the tastes and fantasies of their chosen ones.

If you really want to get married, you need to go to Holland. There is a tradition there that on February 14, if a girl made an offer, she cannot be refused. Of course, tying a man in marriage against his will is unlikely to succeed. But even if the offer is refused, then there is an opportunity to ask the chosen one for a silk dress. And any brand and for any price. No man can refuse this. The only condition is that the dress must be red. It is believed that only such an outfit can console an outcast woman. So the Dutch in any case will not remain in the loser.

friends day

In Estonia and Finland it is Friendship Day. Of course, lovers also celebrate it. But the peculiarity of the holiday lies in the fact that real friends also receive cards and gifts. This is done so that almost everyone can join the holiday, and not just happy lovers.

One way or another, but on this day, as well as all over the world, people send valentines, cute little things, gifts, soft toys, sweets and other gifts made in the shape of hearts. Flowers are less popular here, as practical Finns and Estonians prefer material expressions of their feelings of love and friendship.

The ban on love

Iran and Saudi Arabia are the only countries in the world where Valentine's Day is officially banned. The traditions of the holiday are considered pernicious and pernicious here, embarrassing young minds. Saudi Arabia even has a Commission for the Prevention of Sin and the Promotion of Virtue. It was she who issued a decree banning the celebration of Valentine's Day. The commission concluded that "this Western holiday extols man's original sin."

Therefore, on February 14, all shops and supermarkets in the country are not entitled to sell flowers, valentines, plush toys and any other attributes of the holiday. And anyone who decides to celebrate this celebration will face a huge fine.

Valentine's Day in Russia

As mentioned above, in Russia Valentine's Day is celebrated not so long ago. However, the holiday has already managed to please many. Especially those who are in love. In Russia, their own holiday traditions have already appeared. This day is perceived as a celebration of joy and love. In all corners of the country, lovers send valentines, present gifts and flowers, arrange romantic evenings by candlelight and dates under the moon.

By the way, Rus' also has its own Valentine's Day. The Orthodox holiday is called Valentine's Day. Russians celebrate it This holiday is a tribute to the legendary love of Fevronia and Pavel. And in 2008, he declared the official fidelity and love.

Personally, I have only one opinion about the origin of Valentine's Day - it was invented and popularized by flower girls, confectionery manufacturers and manufacturers of souvenir cards. They also need to earn money on something, and income from the attributes of love and attention to the opposite sex is unstable - on St. Valentine's Day, the acquisition of Valentine's attributes is mandatory. But everything, of course, is not so simple ... The origin of this holiday "is rooted" (a classic phrase!) In past centuries and has a completely different history than that imposed on us by the media.

"Castle" valentine

I'll start with disappointment for the fair sex - no young priest named Valentine, who secretly betrothed young couples during the reign of Claudius II and suffered for it, actually existed! Accordingly, there was no love between the priest Valentine and the blind, cured by him, the guard's daughter Julia, there was no suicide note-valentine with a declaration of love. A story that is extremely popular in the media and among manufacturers of souvenir and chocolate paraphernalia for Valentine's Day is a tale sucked from the finger.

Roman goddess Juno

But what really happened? But what - on February 14-15, Ancient Rome celebrated two major holidays, the first was dedicated to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and the supreme goddess of the Roman pantheon, the second was called Lupercalia and was partly dedicated to the wolf-nurse of the founders of Rome - the brothers Romulus and Remus, partly to God Faun, among whose numerous nicknames was the name Luperc. Lupercalia was a special Roman holiday, incredibly licentious in modern terms, but completely normal for the mores of the ancient Romans - it was a kind of festival of eroticism, its participants were partially or completely naked.

Roman Lupercalia

The prehistory of the Lupercalia holiday is as follows - in 276 BC, Rome was struck by an incomprehensible for its reasons and a huge wave of mortality among newborns, the great city was threatened with extinction ... The families of the Romans, who had less than 3 children and those families that had no children generally subjected to mass censure, they were considered cursed. And on February 15, immediately after the day of honoring Juno, the celebration of Lupercalia was scheduled, held near the walls of Rome in the place where, according to legend, the she-wolf raised Romulus and Remus. It all started with sacrifices to the gods, then belts were cut from the skins of sacrificial goats, young men half-naked and smeared with sacrificial blood took them and marched to the walls of Rome, where Roman women of childbearing ages were waiting for them. The young men mercilessly beat the Romans with belts, who believed that each blow increased their chances of conception and childbirth. I repeat - the picture of the celebration of Lupercalia looks wild for us, but for the ancient Romans everything was in the order of things.

Capitoline she-wolf with Romulus and Remus

On the night between the celebrations of Juno and Lupercalia, there was a custom among Roman youth, somewhat similar to the celebration of St. Valentine's Day today. In ancient Rome, the upbringing of boys and girls was carried out separately, they practically did not see each other. On the eve of Lupercalia, the girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large bowl, and the guys took them out in turn - the girl whose name was on the stretched paper sheet became a couple for the guy during the holiday and for a year after it, they could freely meet. Subsequently, many couples who formed by chance before the Lupercalia holiday were united by marriage.

As the power of the Catholic Church and the papal throne grew, the popes did everything possible to erase the pagan gods and the celebrations dedicated to them from the memory of the people. As in the case of All Saints' Day, the holidays of Juno and Lupercalia, which were very popular among the Romans, were abolished, instead, in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I introduced a new Catholic holiday - St. Valentine's Day, appointing it to February 14th. However, in 1969, Pope Paul VI abolished St. Valentine's Day, because it was not clear to which Valentine or Valentine it should be dedicated - in the history of Catholicism there were three great martyrs with such names.

Candy valentines are a super profitable business, but only once a year

It turns out that for 43 years now, Valentine's Day, celebrated on February 14, is a popular secular holiday that has nothing to do with religion. Well, so what - but it is quite cheerful and filled with its own paraphernalia, albeit profitable for merchants from "Valentine's Day".

History of Valentine's Day goes far into the past. A modern woman must be well educated and know many things, otherwise she runs the risk of falling into a puddle sooner or later. Even in such a simple moment as Valentine's Day.

Are you celebrating Valentine's Day? Me not. In general, I don’t really like these holidays - February 14, February 23, March 8. I love New Year! And this gives some kind of obligation and for some reason a little melancholy. As if only in these 3 days people mean something to each other. No, I understand that in normal relations, this is just an additional holiday, but still .. We decided 10 years ago to introduce the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity instead of this holiday. And so, just on this day, July 8, my colleague went for the first time to his mistress - a girl who had liked him for a long time. What he told everyone the next morning to celebrate. We told him - well, you certainly found the day! And he - yes, something somehow ugly happened. That is, the logic is that if I had gone not on the 8th, but on the 7th or 9th, I would have celebrated the holiday with my family, then it seems to be not so scary. So it is better to arrange all the holidays on any days and more often and less to do "window dressing". Although, to each his own, I do not impose my opinion on anyone.

valentine's day origin story

The history of this holiday has developed from 2 moments. The first is the Roman Lupercalia. A pagan rite, a festival that originated around the 3rd century BC. At this time, there was a real epidemic in Rome - many women had either dead children or miscarriages. For a time when the cities were small - the population of Rome, according to various sources, was only about 150 thousand people - the situation was serious. To save the city from extinction, the priests of the god Luperk decided to arrange a public flogging of women (again, the woman is to blame - not only did she lose the child, she was also to blame for this !!). To this end, the priests sacrificed goats and dogs, and made belts from the skins, with which they, running naked around the city, flogged all the women they met. After that, a tradition arose - every year from February 13 to February 15 - the so-called. Lupercalia with flogging of women with goatskin straps. Interestingly, over time, the tradition softened a little and the women themselves willingly framed their bodies, believing that such a flogging would bring fertility and easy childbirth.

The Romans usually borrowed everything from the Greeks. Lupercalia included. In ancient Greece, there was also a similar holiday, named after the god Pan - Panurgy. By the way, if you read or watched the TV series “Countess de Monsoro”, based on the novel of the same name by Dumas, then there the donkey of Father Goranflo was called Panurge. So one of the nicknames of the god Pan - the patron saint of shepherds and cattle breeding - was Luperk ("lupus" - wolf). Hence the name Lupercalia. But! Hence the name of the Roman brothels - Lupanarii. More precisely, not from here - it's just a homonym, but a funny coincidence. How do you get the picture?)

The Story of Valentine's Day

But there is also a second point. In 496, Pope Gelasius I banned the Lupercalia. Over time, he was replaced by Valentine's Day. And it happened like this. In 269 AD, Emperor Claudius II was short of soldiers for his military campaigns. The reason was that the warriors thought more about their families, wives left at home or about the girls with whom they were going to marry, and fought poorly. To this end, the emperor forbade marriages for Roman legionnaires. But people tend to fall in love - so marriages began to be concluded secretly, and the wedding ceremony was performed by a priest named Valentine, for which he later paid with his life, this happened just on February 14th. However, the story is dark - someone claims that Valentine was executed by the emperor for refusing to renounce Christ, and someone that was already 3 Valentine - a priest, bishop of Interamna (the ancient name of the modern Italian city of Terni) and a certain martyr, executed in Africa, then a Roman province. Here, on a holiday in honor of one of these Valentines, Lupercalia was decently replaced.

As for the so-called "valentines" - love notes - there are also 2 versions here. The first says that St. Valentine sent a letter to the blind daughter of the jailer, who, trying to read it, received her sight. The second version - the author of "valentines" is the Duke of Orleans, who in 1415, sitting in prison, escaped from boredom and sent love letters to his wife. His wife's name was Valentina Visconti. Well, her husband actually cheated on her with everyone, including the wife of his own brother, King Charles VI.

In 1969, the Catholic Church removed Valentine from the list of saints who must be commemorated in the liturgy. But his day is celebrated in folk holidays.