Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love, romance, and kissy-face devotion. The history of this candy-and-cupids event, however, is actually dark, bloody, and deadly.
Although the exact origin of the festival has not been established, one place to look is ancient Rome.
The Violent Celebrations of Romans
The Lupercalia festival was celebrated by Romans from February 13 to February 15. Following the offering of a goat and a dog as sacrifices, the men beat women with the hides of the animals they had just killed.
idealistic romantics “They already had. In their purest form “According to Noel Lenski, a professor of religious studies at Yale University who made this statement to NPR in 2011. Males would line up to hit young women, according to Lenski. They believed that would improve the quality of their sperm.
As part of the cruel event, young men played a game of matchmaking in which they drew names of ladies from a jar. Following that, if the match was successful, the couple would stay together for the duration of the festival or longer.
The name of the modern-day celebration of love may have been created by the Romans. Emperor Claudius II executed two men, both named Valentine, on different February 14s in various years of the third century. The Catholic Church recognised their sacrifice by observing St. Valentine’s Day in their honour.
The Holiday Evolved As It Gained Popularity
To get rid of the ancient customs, Pope Gelasius I later confused matters by mixing in the fifth century, there were Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day. The celebration, though, was more of a dramatic recreation of the past. Lenski remarked, “The Romans gave it new garments, but it was still more of a drunken festival.” Lenski continued. The Christians dressed everything up, but it still felt more like a drunken party. It was nevertheless a day of fertility and love despite that.”
During the same period, Galatin’s Day was celebrated by the Normans. “Woman lover” was referred to as “galatin.” It’s possible that at one point that was confused for Saint Valentine’s Day due to how similar they sound.
The holiday got sweeter over the years. Shakespeare and Chaucer romanticised it in their works, which helped it become more well-known in Britain and the rest of Europe. During the Middle Ages, handmade paper cards became the in-thing.
Eventually, the method was brought to the New World. Due to the Industrial Revolution, factory-produced cards were first introduced in the 19th century. Additionally, in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Missouri, began producing valentines in large quantities. February hasn’t been the same since then.
The Way We Celebrate Now
The holiday is becoming a massive business. But for many, that advertising ruined the day. We are sole to a fault, according to Rutgers University sociology professor Helen Fisher.
She insisted that this was not a performance for an order. If consumers didn’t want to purchase Hallmark cards, they wouldn’t, and the company would stop operating.
Valentine’s Day is still celebrated in many different ways today. Many people spend a fortune on flowers and jewellery for their loved ones. While some people will celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD) by dining alone and indulging in self-gifted chocolates, others will figure out how to accept being single in a culture that encourages pairing off.
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