The history of Valentine’s Day begins with the loving priest Saint Valentine, right? Not precisely. In fact, the history of the vacation is likely far more complex than you may have heard.
Incredibly, holidays with obscure histories bring in lots of money every year. People spent between $175 and $210 dollars this past Valentine’s Day on gifts and candy.
Do you want to know more about Valentine’s day backgrounds and why we celebrate it the way we do? That’s why we’re here to help.
History of Valentine’s Day
The history of Valentine’s Day is shrouded in myths and legends. Finding the facts surrounding the mysterious vacation is a bit tricky. However, there isn’t any scarcity of stories and stories about its founding.
Pope Gelasius the First started Valentine’s Day in the 5th century A.D. Pope Gelasius the First wanted to sanctify the pagan practices of extreme sex and fertility rituals.
Although, in the 20th century, the Catholic Church abandoned the vacation as a result of its unfounded history. There is much disagreement about which Saint Valentine/Valentine’s day is honored, so the vacation is no longer a holy day.
Greek and Roman origin
Valentine’s Day is claimed to be based on historical Roman and Greek vacation Lupercalia. However, this vacation is far from romantic by modern standards and isn’t about human fertility.
There is little evidence to support the rumors that people paired lovers or exchanged cards. The vacation encourages fertility amongst sheep and goats herding.
During this vacation, Roman and Greek men would sacrifice puppies and goats. After that, the men would strip and put on the skin of the sacrificial goat.
Overall, this vacation is less about human sexuality and seems to focus more on animal fertility. In later years, this focus on fertility may influence the sexual and romantic aspects of the vacation. However, they’re undoubtedly very different.
Religious and Poetic Origins
Saint Valentine was the patron saint that Gelasius the First wanted to replace the pagan holidays. However, who this man was was more complicated.
Some claim she was a bishop in the early days of Christianity in the Roman empire who married a Roman centurion. No one knows for sure whether this is true or whether Bishop Valentine was against it. The records are primarily based on religious records written centuries later.
another legend including Saint Valentine handing over notes of lovers amongst imprisoned Christians. Or that he was a persecuted saint who wrote a letter to his church in which he signed, “Your Valentine.” This is the origin of Valentine’s Day cards and Valentine’s Day gifts.
But, again, this legend is not based on many hard historical accounts. Many of the practices we associate with the vacations came much later. Poets and writers elaborated on myths to make them more romantic and familiar to us today.
One thing is for sure, Valentine’s Day is a difficult time for many single people. This is true for at least the last 100-200 years as holidays became more and more romantic. Click here if you are searching for some single Valentine’s day ideas. There’s no reason not to enjoy yourself!
The Real History of Valentine’s Day
The history of Valentine’s Day is complex, like the vacation itself. Many people struggle with romantic situations that seem forced and pressure from society.
The excellent news is that you haven’t got to celebrate this way. As we have seen, the historical Greeks and Romans used to celebrate wearing goat skins. So how can anyone say you made a mistake?
The actual history of Valentine’s Day is complicated, but the way you celebrate it does not must be. Go and have fun!
