Lupercalia was an ancient pagan festival held each year in Rome on February 15. Although Valentine’s Day shares its name with a martyred Christian saint, some historians believe the holiday is Valentine's Day has dark origins. Though no one has pinpointed the exact origin of the holiday, one place to start is ancient Rome. The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," Noel Find out about the meaning and history of Valentine’s Day, from the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring to the card-giving customs of Victorian England. The Legend of St It’s often speculated that Valentine’s Day has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, and it’s not hard to see why. Lupercalia was observed on February 15, and involved fertility rituals — albeit along with animal sacrifice and ritual whipping. Yet the link between this pagan festival and the Christian feast day that morphed into our modern ode to love and romance is St. Valentine, a name that is synonymous with love and romance across the globe, lived at a time when the Roman Empire was at its zenith. He is often best remembered for the act of marrying couples in secret defiance of the Roman Emperor's bans. However, the truth about St. Valentine is far more complex, woven from a mixture of historical fragments, religious tradition, and folklore. This has Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus," according to history.com. The Roman The Valentine’s Day origin can be traced back to ancient Roman celebrations, specifically the Festival of Lupercalia. This festival, which took place from February 13 to 15, was primarily a celebration of fertility and purification. When was Valentines Day first held? Saint Valentine’s day of feast was established on February 14 by Pope Gelasius in 496 AD, around two decades after the collapse of the Roman Empire. While the Roman Catholic Church honors St. Valentine on February 14, the Eastern Orthodox celebrates St. Valentine’s Day on July 6 2. Historical Crossroads: Valentine’s Day and Lupercalia. While Valentine’s Day is widely recognized as a celebration of love in modern times, its historical roots are far more intricate and, believe it or not, a bit wilder. The mid-February timing of Valentine’s Day intriguingly aligns with the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia Valentine's Day History: Roman Roots. More than a Hallmark holiday, Valentine's Day, like Halloween, is rooted in pagan partying. (See "Halloween Facts: Costumes, History, Urban Legends, More.") Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It may have had beginnings in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and other activities, but the origin of the holiday is vague at best. Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus," according to history.com. The Roman We might typically associate Valentine's Day with romance, roses and chocolate, but the holiday's history has a lot more to it than meets the eye. From a Roman festival and Christian martyrs to a medieval celebration of spring , we explore the origins of Valentine's Day in more detail Where does the name Valentine come from?. The holiday is aptly named after Saint Valentine, but who exactly was he? Valentine is likely based on a combination of two Valentines who were executed on February 14 in different years by Roman Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century A.C.E., according to NPR. One of the most common explanations is that Valentine's Day has its origins in the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia. The debaucherous festival, which celebrated the coming of spring Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day today? Valentine's Day's transformation into a holiday about romantic love can be attributed to the Romantic English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. The Times notes that Jack B. Oruch, a late University of Kansas English professor, credits Chaucer for modern ideas about Valentine's Day. Through his research, Oruch While this is not your conventional story about Valentine’s Day that’s filled with romance, it’s a fascinating take on a tradition that is widely celebrated on February 14th. Read on to u ncover the dark truths and surprising history of Valentine’s Day, from Roman festivals to modern customs! Some say that the history of Valentine’s Day can be traced to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Others say it is rooted in the history of Saint Valentine himself. The evidence indicates that the origins of Valentine’s Day are more likely tied to a 14th-century poem by Geoffrey Chaucer than to a 3rd-century Christian saint. Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus," according to history.com. The Roman
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