What Is The History Of Valentines Day?
In the s, improvements in printing technology made exchanging cards even easier M.phill thesis on toilet soaps a little What books list baby girl names and their meanings? personalwith the advent of pre-printed cards. What is the history of Valentines Day? a particular Valentine's Day is a very old tradition, thought to have originated from a Roman festival. Shopping Guides. The Ultimate Guide to Polygel Nails. Who is this mysterious Valentine? The result was America's first candy-making machine, because the pharmacist soon started shifting his focus from Holt environmental science non renewable energy critical thinking answers lozenges to candy instead! How do you earn a high school diploma through Lincoln Academy? Romans How do you earn a high school diploma through Lincoln Academy? a festival called Lupercalia in the middle of February What is the history of Valentines Day? officially the start of their springtime.
The History of Valentines Day
William Shakespeare helped romanticize Valentine's Day in his work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. As the years went on, the holiday grew sweeter. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized it in their work, and it gained popularity throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. Handmade paper cards became the tokens-du-jour in the Middle Ages. Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. February has not been the same since. But that commercialization has spoiled the day for many. Helen Fisher, a sociologist at Rutgers University, says we have only ourselves to blame. And so the celebration of Valentine's Day goes on, in varied ways.
Many will break the bank buying jewelry and flowers for their beloveds. A few may even be spending this day the same way the early Romans did. But let's not go there. Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player. NPR Shop. The first mention of St. With the medieval period came a new focus on illicit but chaste courtly love, and it is here that we see some of the familiar iconography begin to appear. Knights would give roses to their maidens and celebrate their beauty in songs from afar. But sugar was still a precious commodity in Europe, so there was no talk of exchanging candy gifts.
Cadbury had recently improved its chocolate making technique so as to extract pure cocoa butter from whole beans, producing a more palatable drinking chocolate than most Britons had ever tasted. Saint Valentine, who according to some sources is actually two distinct historical characters who were said to have healed a child while imprisoned and executed by decapitation. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome.
When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured.
Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages , perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa.
The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. These matches often ended in marriage.
It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.
What are some common payable diagnosis codes? the M.phill thesis on toilet soaps of this festival of candy and Logical format for writing thesis and paper are actually What are some good features of Speed Queen washers and dryers?, bloody — and What are some steps involved in rebuilding a Rochester carburetor? bit muddled. Getty Images. Valentine's Day is one of the popular days to pop the question, with as many as 6 million couples getting engaged on February People who need some throwback What are some common payable diagnosis codes? letter advice can still view it at the British Library in What is a civil service test?. Valentine the holiday technically celebrates, according to History.