Why do People Celebrate St. Valentine's Day?

by Lesley Pinkett

14th of February is Valentine's Day. This is traditionally the day when lovers exchange notes confirming their love for one another. Modern Valentine symbols are often either heart shaped or cupids.

Valentine's Day started life as a Catholic feast day in honour of Saint Valentine. However, it's not known exactly who Saint Valentine was. According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia of 1908 there are at least three possible candidates for the position.

The first was a Christian priest in Rome how was martyred in the second half of the 3rd century. The second was a bishop of Interamna - the modern day Terni - who, like the priest was martyred and is buried near to but not in exactly the same place as the first. The third was a North African martyr about whom nothing else is known.

The romantic associations with Valentine began in the Middle Ages at which time the concept of romantic love became widely accepted. This connection is not mentioned in any early histories and is regarded by secular historians as purely a matter of legend.

The feast of St. Valentine was first declared to be on February 14 by Pope Gelasius I in 496. There is a widespread legend that he created the day to counter the practice held on Lupercalia of young men and women pairing off as lovers by drawing their names out of an urn, but this practice is not attested in any sources from that era.

Valentine's Day probably reached North America in the 19th century with the arrival of settlers from Britain. Gradually Valentine's Day has changed, like most other festivals and celebrations, from a pagan to a religious to a secular event.

The custom of giving a valentine gradually evolved into a multi-million dollar industry starting with the mass production of embossed paper lace valentines. By the second half of the 20th century people began giving gifts as well as cards to their loved ones. These gifts included red roses and chocolates and by about 1980 jewellers began promoting diamonds as an appropriate gift for the occasion.

Labels: love, Trivia, UAP, University of Asia and the Pacific, Valentines, Valentines Day