Everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February each year but does anyone know the history behind it? Yes it is about love but not just between couples, it can also be a day to celebrate with your family especially your parents but primarily it is still a day for lovers to show their affections for one another. In fact, during Valentine’s Day that fell on a leap year – women would be able to propose marriage to their lovers.
The day supposedly got its name from a saint, however there are several stories regarding the true identity of this particular person. The most popular version was that he was a priest that lived in the third century AD in Rome. It was believed that during this time Emperor Claudius II had banned marriage as he thought this made the soldiers weak. Saint Valentine thought this was an unfair act, so he decided to break the rules and helped those that wished to get married.
Unfortunately the emperor discovered what the priest was doing and sentenced him to death, while waiting for his sentence to be carried out he met and fell in love with the jailor’s blind daughter. It was believed that his love and belief in God was what cured the girl’s blindness. On 14th February when he was taken to be executed he sent the girl a love letter signed “from your Valentine’.
Another trivia about the history of Valentine’s Day is regarding what is to be believed the first ever Valentine’s message ever written, it was a poem from Charles Duke of Orleans to his wife in the year 1415. The duke was imprisoned in the Tower of London awaiting his execution after he was captured at the Battle of Agincourt.
These men waited until the final minute to acknowledge their love for their respective partners however you do not have to follow in their footsteps. In a way their deaths has made it possible for millions of people around the world to profess their love to one another.
Technology has made it even more possible for people to express the way they feel such as electronic cards that are sent through the email or even the use of text messages. However it seems that the preferred choice for many is still printed cards.
As time progressed not only were cards used to express one’s feelings but gifts were also used, traditionally it was the men that bought the women items such as the cliché heart shaped chocolates and flowers, usually red coloured roses. Again with modern times, this concept has evolved and now the men and women exchange gifts with one another and it can range from just about anything that the respective partner likes not just candy and flower.
Having said that Valentine’s Day should not be the only day that you show your partner how much you love them, that should be done all year round instead you can make this day more special compared to the other days.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all readers of this blog.
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