When is Valentine Day?
February 14th is Valentine's Day. And in the USA, as in many countries, Valentine's Day is a celebration for lovers. But why this particular day?
Although most Americans consider Valentine's Day a purely commercial holiday, many Americans also celebrate it. It is celebrated with flowers, chocolates, restaurant invitations, declarations of love or sexy little gifts. And if the opinion of Americans about this holiday is ambiguous, it is perhaps because its origin remains unclear.
Valentine's Day is a very ancient holiday, most of whose traditions have been lost but some rituals still remain today, such as sending cards or giving flowers and chocolates. Valentine's Day is considered the feast of couples already formed as much as the feast of those who are looking for a soul mate. Valentine's Day is also the feast of friendship in some countries such as the United States.
How did Valentines day start?
For some people, the origin of Valentine's Day is said to be pagan. It is said to date back to ancient Rome. At that time, the Lupercalia was celebrated between the 13th and 15th of February each year. A far less romantic holiday than our Valentine's Day. A goat was sacrificed in the cave where, according to legend, the she-wolf nursed Romulus and Remus. Smeared with the goat's blood, the young men of good family would then run through the streets to whip the women with strips of skin. Objective: To make them fertile! It was also on this day that the young men drew lots to choose the name of the woman who would be their partner for the rest of the year...
Valentine's Day: a pagan or Christian holiday?
Others say that we owe Valentine's Day to a martyr of the Catholic Church, Valentinus. While the Roman Emperor Claudius II had forbidden marriages -- to encourage soldiers to go off to war in greater numbers -- this priest would have continued to marry lovers under a cloak. A commitment that would have earned him imprisonment and execution ... on February 14. Then, the Pope would have abolished the Lupercales and named Saint Valentine, patron saint of lovers.
Lupercales on Valentine's Day
Many feasts in the Christian calendar have been established on dates which, in pagan times, were already celebrated by the people. The aim was to combat these pagan rites while at the same time giving meaning to ritual practices linked to the cycle of nature. Valentine's Day is one example among others. Indeed, by making this saint the protector of couples on February 14, the Church encouraged the celebration of love at the time of the first fruits of spring while at the same time combating the pagan feast of the Lupercales which took place at the same time. This feast, linked to the origins of Rome, was a feast of purification and fecundity, whose most striking ritual was the race of the Lupercians. During this race, men chased the women and beat them with strips of goatskin. The thongs received were meant to ensure that the women were fertile and had a happy pregnancy. When the feast of the Lupercalia was banned in 494, it had to be replaced by a feast of purification (Candlemas) and a feast of love and fertility (Valentine's Day).
Who was St Valentine?
Who was st valentine from Terni or Valentine's Day?
Valentine's story is one of Valentin de Terni, better known as Saint Valentine is a monk who refused to submit to Emperor Claudius II the Gothic. At the time, Emperor Claudius II wanted to prohibit marriage to prevent men from being tempted to stay with their fiancées who refused to join the military legions so as not to leave their families. Valentin de Terni continued to marry couples and defied the emperor's authority. He was then imprisoned! There he met his jailer's daughter, Julia, a blind girl.
She asked Valentin to describe the world to her. Through encounters and exchanges, they fell in love until a miracle happened: Julia regained her sight! This miracle was shared and relayed everywhere. So much so that Claude II the Gothic, who did not like Christians, decided to condemn Valentin de Terni to death. He then became a martyr and would have died defending love and marriage.
Thus he was considered Valentine's Day by Pope Gelas I, who decided to honor him every 14th February in 494.
Lovers' Day
Since 1496, Saint Valentine has been officially the Patron Saint of Lovers, by order of Pope Alexander VI. At that time, the protection of this Patron Saint applied especially to singles who were looking for a soul mate. The Valentine's Day festivities were aimed precisely at giving young bachelors the opportunity to find a partner for life. Different customs existed in different regions, such as the hide-and-seek party where unmarried girls from a village would hide while unmarried men set out to find them. The couples formed in this way could last the time of the evening or go until marriage!
What is Valentine's Day?
It was in the 14th century that people in England got into the habit of forming a couple at random. The custom of "Valentine's Day" was born in the English aristocracy at the end of the Middle Ages. A young girl was associated with a young man and during the day they had obligations towards each other. The valentine and his valentine had to secretly give each other small gifts and make gallantry to each other. This custom came to the Court of Savoy and then spread to neighboring regions. The "valentinage" was enriched by the sending of Valentine's poems.
When did Valentine's Day arrive in USA?
It was in the Middle Ages, in England, that the first words of love linked to Valentine's Day appeared. But it was especially in the 17th century that Valentine became popular. William Shakespeare, in Hamlet, makes Orphelia sing:
Text by William Shakespeare:
To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day.
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose and donned his clothes
And dupped the chamber door,
Let in the maid, that out a maid,
Never departed more.
Since the appearance of valentine's day at the court of England in the 14th century, Anglo-Saxon Valentines have been sending each other "Valentines". This custom of friendship exchange gradually turned into a lovers' festival. In Anglo-Saxon countries, friends also exchange words of friendship through Valentine's Day cards. Since the 18th century, the custom of sending "valentines" spread to Great Britain and then to North America in the 19th century, and the practice of exchanging small words of love developed, "Valentines", these cards bearing sweet words, became the symbols of Valentine's Day. In the United States, it is customary to offer them to all loved ones, in the broadest sense of the term.
What is Valentine?
Valentine & Valentine
Valentine is the first name of Latin origin. It is written in Latin Valentinus and comes from valens,-tis: strong, robust, vigorous. This name apparently has nothing to do with love... but doesn't love to make those who love each other stronger?
In English, Valentine is called Valentine (the "i" is pronounced [aï]) and this name is valid for both men and women... Valentine designates a lover (man or woman), it is the person to whom we wish Valentine's Day, we say to him:
be my Valentine! Be my Valentine!
Valentine, it is also a love card that we send each other on Valentine's Day as we send greeting cards for the new year...That's Valentine's meaning.
Eros & Cupid
February 14th is close to Mardi Gras. Under the mask of Valentine's Day, wouldn't it be more like Eros Cupidon is hiding?
Indeed, the one we should celebrate that day is Cupid, the Roman god of love, which corresponds to the Greek god Ἔρως (Érōs).
Cupid is represented as a winged child. And like any angel, we don't really know his sex. He personifies love, i.e. the union of man and woman, so he is androgynous.
Cupid is always accompanied by his bow, quiver, and arrows: arcus and lighthouse and sagittæ. He shoots the one he wants to drive mad... with love.
However, we did not go without transition from the goatskin strap to the romantic bouquet! The symbols of Valentine's Day that we know (Cupid, roses, the heart...) were especially imposed at the beginning of the 20th century on pretty colored cards which were a great popular success.
The Symbols
The Cupid...
In Roman mythology, the Cupid (from the Latin "Cupido" , desire) is the god of Love. Son of Venus, goddess of Love and Beauty, he corresponds to Eros in Greek mythology. He is especially known to be the beautiful young god who fell in love with the beautiful Psyche. Jealous of the beauty of Psyche, Venus ordered her son to make Psyche fall in love with the ugliest man on earth. Fortunately for her, it was Cupid who fell in love with her! He took her to a remote palace where he visited her every night, without her being able to recognize or see him. Cupid forbade her to see his face, but one night, out of curiosity, she lit a lamp to see him while he slept, and because she had disobeyed him, Cupid abandoned him and Psyche wandered miserably in search of him. Eventually, she found him and was made immortal by Jupiter, king of the gods.
Cupid is a mischievous kid who indiscriminately wounds gods and men with his arrows that make them fall in love. This is why he is represented as a naked child, winged or not, carrying a bow and a quiver filled with arrows, often blindfolded, which shows the blindness of love.
The hearts ...
The Romans believed it contained the soul. The heart has long had a close connection with the feeling of love. Doesn't it beat a hundred miles an hour when you see your loved one? That must be where it all began. Since ancient times, red hearts have been synonymous with faithful love. They take their shape to all sorts of objects on Valentine's Day: Cards, ribbons, cookies, chocolates ...
Birds ...
Mid-February marks the beginning of love for some birds. The dove represents grace, sweetness, purity, sociability. The swan is the noblest and most romantic. It is the favorite bird of Venus. The male remains faithful to the same female all his life and takes care of the young. It is considered magical. It is a symbol of loyalty and love.
Lace and ribbons...
In the past, women used embroidered and lace-lined handkerchiefs to make themselves noticed by the man they liked and to encourage him to court them. The word lace comes from the Latin "laqueare" catch, so it is supposed to catch the heart of the chosen one. The connection between the feeling of love and lace was made quickly. The first cards decorated with lace appeared.
The ribbon tradition dates back to the Middle Ages when women gave ribbons to their favorite knight when he went on a crusade.
Valentines Day Gifts
It is important to choose the right gift that will please your valentine (as well as your valentine), you have to offer a gift that will surprise and please him. If you are in a couple, this is the opportunity to find an idea on Kazercase.com. We have a selection of iPhone Cases special valentine's day. Valentine's Day is on February 14th, don't forget to get your parcel in time for an unforgettable evening! A little attention is always a pleasure, tell him/her I love you by showing him/her that you have thought of him/her!
