Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is an annual holiday celebrated on February 14. It
originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, and is recognized as a
significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the
world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.
Several martyrdom stories associated with the various Valentines that
were connected to February 14 were added to later martyrologies, including a popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome which indicated he was imprisoned
for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for
ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, Saint Valentine healed the
daughter of his jailer, Asterius, and before his execution, he wrote her a
letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell.
In Ancient Rome, Lupercalia, observed February 13–15, was an archaic rite connected to
fertility. Lupercalia was a festival local to the city of Rome. The more
general Festival of Juno Februa, meaning "Juno the purifier" or "the chaste
Juno", was celebrated on February 13–14. Pope Gelasius I (492–496)
abolished Lupercalia. Some researchers have theorized that Gelasius I replaced
Lupercalia with the celebration of the Purification of Mary in February 14 and
claim a connection to the 14th century's connotations of romantic love, but
there is no historical indication that he ever intended such a thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment