That love makes the world go round is attested to every year on this day, as partners the globe over buy candy, flowers and gifts for each other to express their love. But where did this bright idea come from?
There are several different myths attributed to the genesis of Valentine’s Day. However, there is no disputing the fact that this holiday, as with most, began as a religious one.
The Catholic Church has canonised at least three different Saint Valentines, all of whom were martyred and literally died for love.
The most popular Saint Valentine, and the one frequently attributed with fathering Valentine’s Day, was a Roman priest during the third century, serving under Emperor Claudius.
Emperor Claudius believed that single men made better soldiers than those married and with families, and passed a law making marriage illegal for all young men. Valentine recognised the horror of this law and continued to marry young couples in secret, effectively defying his Emperor.
Even then, it was traditional for men and women to exchange flowers on their wedding day, as a sign of good luck and the start of a “blooming” relationship.
While some believe Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial, which probably occurred around AD270, others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianise” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.
Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
Today, we continue to celebrate love on February 14 by exchanging flowers, and the more modern chocolates and teddy bears.
VALENTINE’S DAY FACTS
February 14th is the second-largest card-giving day of the year, just after Christmas. This year, it’s expected that 1 billion cards will be exchanged around the world.
Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards, followed by kids, mothers, wives and girlfriends.
Hallmark, a US-based company, was one of the first to mass-produce a Valentine’s Day card, all the way back in 1913.
More than one-third of men are comfortable not receiving anything from a lover on Valentine’s Day.
People consider pink and red the colours of love. Red especially is the colour used in most packaging of Valentine’s gifts.
The heart shape wasn't always a romantic symbol. According to Time, the heart was once widely believed to be humans' centre of memory, where feelings of love were recorded. However, we have French and Italian artists from the 14th century to thank for the symbol that we know and love today, as they were the first ones to start using this motif in their work.
Finally, Cupid's bow and arrow aren't just for show. In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, Medium reports. According to CNN, he's often depicted with a bow and arrows to pierce hearts and cast a spell of love.