How Does Valentine's Day Get Started?
Valentine's Day is the day for expressing your love to those around you.valentine's day For some, that's a romantic partner or spouse. For others, it's friends or family. And for many people, it's also a day to show your appreciation for those who have made a positive impact on your life. But what exactly is the origin of this holiday? We turned to Allen Carden, a history professor at Fresno Pacific University and an expert on holidays. He teaches a class called Holidays, History, and Values that looks at the origins of many well-known holidays in America.
In the early Roman Empire, there was a holiday celebrated in February called Lupercalia, which had to do with fertility and was dedicated to the Roman gods of agriculture, fertility and sacrifice, and to the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.valentine's day When the Romans lost power, the Christian church decided to take over Lupercalia and to "christianize" it by changing the date and putting it in honor of Saint Valentine.
Saint Valentine's real name is unknown, but he was a priest during the third century in Rome.valentine's day At the time, the Roman Emperor Claudius was against Christians and had passed a law that forbade soldiers from marrying. The story goes that when Valentine found out about this, he began to perform secret marriages for the soldiers and became known for his belief in love.
One of the first records of a connection between Saint Valentine and a day to celebrate love came from a poem written in the 14th century by a man named Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer was not associated with the Roman martyrs by any means and his claim that a feast in honor of a saint was linked to a celebration of love is probably nothing more than poetic license.
During the middle ages, a custom developed of writing notes to express one's emotions to those who were special in one's life. These messages, often decorated with pictures of cupid or hearts, became known as valentines. By the late 1700s, a printed form of these cards began to appear. These grew in popularity as the 1800s moved into full swing and today we still send messages of love in the same way.
In addition to sending messages of love, this holiday is often celebrated by taking a special someone out on a date. This might include a movie, dinner at a nice restaurant or dancing at a ballroom. If you're planning a romantic evening, check out our collection of historical films on love, including 10,000 B.C, The Gay Shoe Clerk and A Romance of the Rail. Or, if you're planning to go dancing this Valentine's Day, brush up on your steps with our collection of dance instruction manuals from the 1700s and 1800s. All of our collections are available online, so you can learn about our rich cultural history from the comfort of your home or classroom. And don't forget the candy - we have plenty of recipes for your sweetheart!