Valentine’s Day is almost here. While you must be busy with the preparations of dropping in the perfect Valentine’s Day surprises for your beloved in the endeavour to pick the best Valentine’s Day gifts for him/her, but are you aware of the history of this special day of love? Well, Valentine’s Day is celebrated as the day of love for which lovers wait eagerly to celebrate romance with gifts that are unique and exclusive. Valentine’s Day calls for the worldwide celebrations of love and romance. But, as per the recent records not all of us are aware of the history behind the celebration of February 14th as Valentine’s Day to put it precisely. Well, there is an interesting history behind this gala celebration of love on this particular day. Interested to know further? Well, here are the details…
A Brief History
Valentine’s Day is also known as the Feast of St. Valentine or St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated worldwide on the 14th of February every year. As per historical records and documentations, it had initially started as the feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs named St. Valentine. Although the exact history about the origin of Valentine’s Day still remains unclear, but certain popular beliefs and cultural stories have passed down over the ages to mark this day as the day of love and romance.
As mentioned earlier, there are many stories regarding the origin of Valentine’s Day. The most popular one is about a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd century to put it precisely. During his time, many Romans were in the process of converting to Christianity. The Emperor at that time was Claudius II who was a pagan and had implemented strict rules against the Christians. He was of the opinion that Roman soldiers should devote themselves completely to Rome and therefore, he passed a law that prevented them from marrying. It was St. Valentine who had helped get the soldiers married in secret Christian ceremonies. This marked the beginning of his reputation as one who believed in love and supported marriage.
With time, St. Valentine was found and he was jailed for his crimes against Emperor Claudius II. During his times in the prison, he would always care for his fellow prisoners including the blind daughter of his jailor. The legend goes that St. Valentine had also cured the girl’s blindness. His final act was that before being executed he wrote her a love letter. The love letter was duly signed ‘from your Valentine’. St. Valentine was executed on the 14th of February.
But it was around 200 years later that this day was marked as the feast of St. Valentine. It was not until the 14th and 15th century that 14th February became associated with romantic love for the matter. It was during this period that courtly love had flourished. It was owing to the association of ‘’lovebirds’’ of early spring for the matter.
In the 18th century in England, it gained popularity as a special occasion in which the couples would express love to each other. For this they would present flowers, send greeting cards, offered confectionery items etc. In the contemporary times, Valentine’s Day symbols that are in use are doves, figure of the winged Cupid, heart shaped Valentine’s Day gifts online.
19th century marked handwritten Valentines which were love notes that lovers exchanged in the previous centuries give way to that of mass produced greeting cards for the occasion. In Italy, the Saint Valentine’s keys were gifted to lovers as a romantic gift and an invitation to unlock the givers heart. It was also gifted to children in the endeavour to ward of epilepsy which was known as Saint Valentine’s Malady.
With the advancement of cultures, with the intermingling of traditions and the exchange of rituals, Valentine’s Day has come to being the grand carnival of love and romance that isn’t about a one-day affair. Here’s the seven days of the Valentine’s week which kicks starts with Rose Day on the 7th and ends with Valentine’s Day on the 14th for the matter:
Lovers send Valentine’s Day gifts online to their beloved in the present times as love wrapped surprises not just on this special day of love, but on every day of the Valentine’s week to put it precisely. Right from colourful flowers, assorted chocolates, to delicious cakes, grooming hampers, bags, apparels, to that of alluring perfumes, there is an incredible collection of gifts for the season. Valentine’s Day is the day of love and romance that is celebrated with utmost pomp and glory as lovers paint the towns red across the world!