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2007-02-13 15:06:37 · 4 answers · asked by Brian S 2 in Arts & Humanities History

4 answers

The origins of Valentine's Day are as much of a mystery as love itself.
There are several stories of how this celebration started. Each version seems to be a mixture of history, tradition and hearsay.
little heartlittle heartPagan fertility festival
Valentine’s Day is said to have its first roots in the pagan Feast of Lupercalia. This Roman love fest started in the third century and was held on February 15 for Lupercus, the god of shepherds.

Each year the shepherds would gather to praise Lupercus in the hope that he would protect their flocks from the wolves that prowled around Rome.
The fertility goddess Juno was also honoured as part of this ritual. Love-hungry adolescents would enter a lottery and pick a girl's name out of a box. The match-made lovers would then be expected to romance for a year.

The birds and the bees
big heartAnother popular legend of how Valentine’s Day begun is based on medieval folklore. It was said that birds chose their mates on February 14, so this became the day for sweethearts to express their amorous feelings.

The first reference to St Valentine and his role as a patron saint for lovers was probably made by Chaucer (1343-1400) in his poem The Parliament of Fowles.

"For it was on St Valentine’s Day
when every fowl cometh to choose his mate."

Who is St Valentine
It is still unknown who the real St Valentine was. There are at least two saints called Valentine. But the common myth little heart is that our St Valentine was a priest and a doctor who flouted the rules.

St Valentine is said to have conducted marriage ceremonies which were banned by Emperor Cladius II. Cladius the Cruel ordered that no weddings should take place and demanded all engagements to be called off.

He wanted men to stay single so they would fight more passionately in his kingdom’s bloody wars.

Beheaded
People refused to obey the despot's love ban and St Valentine was caught secretly marrying a couple. For this, he was slung into jail and sentenced to death. Perhaps rather unromantically, lovers celebrate February 14 - the day when St Valentine was beheaded.

Love letters little heart
The myth continues that the saint also penned the first valentine note. From his cell, St Valentine is said to have fallen in love with his jailer’s blind daughter. The power of his love miraculously cured her blindness.

Just before he was executed he sent her a message signed: "From your Valentine".

This phrase, coined around 270 AD, is still used in valentine’s cards today.

2007-02-13 15:10:39 · answer #1 · answered by Me 1 · 0 0

I'm pretty sure velentine's day was started by the spelling pagans back in the 6th century AD as a rebuttal to the christian sect's Valentine's Day celebration.

2007-02-13 23:14:05 · answer #2 · answered by tallcowboy0614 6 · 0 0

Back in the ancient Greek times they had period around february tha was dedicated to the marriage of a couple of gods, since then people have been associating that period of the calender with love and procreation. The actual date was, until 1969, celebrated as the Feast of St. Valentines by the christians, but leave it to good'ol American commercialism to change the meaning behind a christian holiday.

2007-02-14 00:34:52 · answer #3 · answered by Mark B 2 · 0 0

i think it originated from some Greek or Roman tradition......but also heard that it came from the U.S. in the 1920-30s with the mobsters......I think there was a Valentine's Day Massacre, or something like that.....i dont' really know though lol. Wikepeida could probably tell you

2007-02-13 23:10:04 · answer #4 · answered by rockingballerina 3 · 0 0

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