What does Valentine’s day mean to you? For some, it is the day of lovers but for some, it is a day to celebrate strong bonds like sisterhood, brotherhood or even the deepest of friendships. It is simply a day to celebrate love, regardless of whether it is romantic or agape love.
Where did it all start from however? Back in ancient Rome, there used to be a highly anticipated and recognized festival which was known as the Festival of Lupercalia. This festival was always celebrated in mid-February. Keep in mind that it was a pagan festival that was meant to honor Lupercus, the Roman god of fertility, and this festival was always marked by rituals of purification and fertility.
During the Lupercalia festival, young men would draw names of young women from a jar, and they would be paired for the duration of the festival, indulging in not so innocent acts for the festival (it was to celebrate fertility after all ) often leading to marriages.
There were a few changes in History however around the 5th century when Pope Gelasius I combined the Lupercalia festival with the feast day of St. Valentine who was rumored to be a martyred Christian saint. The exact story of St. Valentine is still rather unclear however .
One legend regarding the martyr known as Valentine suggests that Valentine was a Roman priest who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage for young men by secretly performing weddings for lovers. Imprisoned and sentenced to death, Valentine allegedly sent the first valentine letter to his jailer’s daughter, signing it “From your Valentine” hence starting the practice of sharing cards or letters in that special day of love.
By the 18th century, it became a norm for lovers to exchange and share handmade cards or even letters and tokens of affection. This was most common in England. Valentines day was however commercialized after the Industrial revolution as cards begun to e produced on a large scale for lovers to exchange.
