The History of Valentine s Day and Why We Celebrate

by Astro Ved Online Astrology Consultation

The origins of Valentine’s day take us back to the celebration of Lupercalia. It was the festival of Romans who celebrated it for the fertility of women. It was not as a saint as it sounds; Lupercalia was full of brutality, nudity, drunkenness, and sex. It doesn’t represent the soft and loving side of Valentine’s day at all; however, it is the opposite!

All those candies, chocolates, and hearts are the production of the new generation. Let’s talk about the origin and the dark days of the day that is now referred to as Valentines day.

Lupercalia and the Sacrifices

Lupercalia in Rome was celebrated on 15th February every year. Roman used to sacrifice dogs, goats, bulls, pigs, and sheep. These animals were killed, and then they smeared the blood of these animals on the foreheads of their people, which was then wiped with wool dipped in milk.

After having good laughter of this ritual, two athletes used to take off the goatskin and make a thong out of it. They would then run the streets and whip everyone they met in the way. In the beginning, women would volunteer of their own will because of the belief in fertility.

However, with time, this festivity got worse, and the women forcibly participates in Lupercalia. During the 3rd century, the celebration got a lot worse, during which two men would forcibly hold a woman and a third man would whip her thighs with the skin of the sacrificed animals.

LUPERCALIA - Replaced by Valentine’s Day

According to medieval history, Pope Gelasius, the Saint Gelasius I, played an important part in the late fifth century. LUPERCALIA gradually started diminishing because it was considered un-Christian. In some records, people used to celebrate LUPERCALIA on 14th February, and hence the day was then replaced by Valentine’s day.

Valentine was a Roman saint in the 3rd century who was considered the epitome of love. In the 3rd century, the emperor Claudius II Gothicus prohibited the soldiers from getting married. According to him, love and romance brought down the potential of soldiers, which made them weak during the wars. Hence the soldiers were not allowed to get married.

However, saint valentine was a believer in Christianity and God’s love. He would try to advise people to accept Christianity as their religion and believe in God’s love. Valentine started to help the soldiers by getting them married and then helped them enter the army as well. He used to wear a ring with a cupid on it which helped the soldiers recognize him.

When Claudius II Gothicus got to know about this act of Valentine, he announced his martyrdom which took place on 14th February, 270. A legend also tells that before his death; Valentine also wrote a letter to his jailer’s daughter, whom he befriended and healed from blindness; he ended the letter as “from your Valentine.”

One legend also tells that Valentine refused to convert to Paganism as he was a staunch believer of Jesus and Christianity. The emperor got furious with Valentine and hence was executed.

Later in the 5th century, when Christianity was all over, the sacrifice of the saint valentine was recognized. His martyrdom was given respect by declaring 14th February as the day of Valentine. Since then, Valentine’s day is celebrated with the idea of love rather than the killings of LUPERCALIA.

Valentine’s Day – The Celebration of Romance and Love

From all those ages to today’s era, the meaning of Valentine’s day and the way of celebration has been completely changed. Now it is a day of love where couples, married or unmarried, express their love to their partners. Many propose to their potential partner and start their relationship.

People buy the valentine cards, which started with the legend when Valentine wrote the letter to the jailer’s daughter. In the beginning, there were all handmade cards that were upgraded with time, and now all are fancy and machine-made.

This is now a day of candies, chocolates, hearts, and gifts. Everyone celebrates the day differently with their partner; however, the concept always remains the same – Love. Even the day has been industrialized, and thousands of businesses are flourishing swearing upon the day. For example, a simple florist shop earns thousands in a single day by selling all those beautiful flowers, and especially “Roses.”

People also celebrate the day with their friends and best friends. However, the idea of Valentine’s day should always be about focusing on the positive side of love. Even when you do not have a partner, you should celebrate your own company. Gift yourself some chocolate and celebrate it with your friends. One should not curse the day in lack of a partner, because it is a new age, and the way of celebration depends upon us.