The origins of Valentine's Day trace back to the ancient Roman
celebration of Lupercalia. Held on February 15, Lupercalia honored the
gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome,
Romulus and Remus.
In addition to a bountiful feast, Lupercalia festivities are
purported to have included the pairing of young women and men. Men would
draw women's names from a box, and each couple would be paired until
next year's celebration.
While this pairing of couples set the tone for today's holiday,
it wasn't called "Valentine's Day" until a priest named Valentine came
along. Valentine, a romantic at heart, disobeyed Emperor Claudius II's
decree that soldiers remain bachelors. Claudius handed down this decree
believing that soldiers would be distracted and unable to concentrate on
fighting if they were married or engaged. Valentine defied the emperor
and secretly performed marriage ceremonies. As a result of his defiance,
Valentine was put to death on February 14.
After Valentine's death, he was named a saint. As Christianity
spread through Rome, the priests moved Lupercalia from February 15 to
February 14 and renamed it St. Valentine's Day to honor Saint Valentine.
http://www.care2.com/gates/holidays/valentines/valentines.html
1 comment:
I knew about saint valentine but never really did find out more about what he did.
Post a Comment