Valentine’s Day - Origins As a Festival of Romance

The 14th of February is a special day for lovers all over the world. Valentine’s Day or the day of lovers is celebrated on this date in many countries around the world. On the occasion of Valentine’s Day people express their love and affection for one another with gifts and other thoughtful gestures. It is also not uncommon for people to propose or declare their love for someone on this day. People celebrate the occasion with lots of pomp, joy and enthusiasm. The main features of the day are presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards otherwise known as "valentines". Conversation hearts, red roses and heart-shaped chocolate boxes are popular symbols of Valentine’s Day.

The real origin of Valentine’s Day is still mired in controversy and there are many theories regarding its beginnings. Scholars have two main theories to explain how the day became synonymous with romance. According to a theory the Roman Feast of Lupercalia which was an ancient pagan fertility celebration was held on February 14. The festival was celebrated in honor of Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. During the celebrations, women supposedly wrote love letters commonly known as billets, and leave them in a large urn which the men of Rome would pick one up randomly from the urn and then pursue the woman who wrote the message in it.  On the topic of Valentine’s Day letter there is another interesting fact regarding its origins. People in the Middle Ages believed that birds began to mate on February 14 and so they began to send love letters on Valentine's Day.

Another important theory on the origins of Valentine’s Day is that of the Christian Martyr known as St. Valentine. But there is a controversy regarding who was the real St Valentine behind the day as there are at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred on February 14. The most popular candidate is the 3rd century Roman priest who practiced Christianity and performed secret marriages against direct orders from the Roman Emperor. Legend has it that he was executed on the emperor’s order and before his execution he sent a friend with a note signed "From Your Valentine." Early Christians preferred a holiday honoring the saint of romantic causes over a pagan festival. And in 496 A.D., the Pope Gelasius declared February 14 in honor of St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers. Valentine’s Day also gets mentioned in one of Chaucer’s poem and the day was first associated with romantic love in his era, the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Now the festival has become synonymous with romantic love and couples celebrate the occasion with loving gifts.  Husbands and boyfriends go to great lengths for their lovers and try to get the best valentine gifts for her. And some of the popular Valentine’s Day gifts for her are cakes, jewelry, perfumes and apparels. But the best gift for Valentine’s Day for herremains the traditional favorite of chocolates and flowers and the original “I love you” greeting cards.