The fourteenth of February is a very important festival and millions of revelers worldwide, present exclusive gifts for their loved ones. Valentine Day gifts, valentine day roses and the color red are synonymous to Valentines Day celebrations. The history of Valentines Day is indeed interesting as it is not merely a story that has passed on through generations but the tales seem more original and relevant than the rest.

Valentines Day is believed to have a bit of Christian and Roman tradition attached to the origin of the celebrations. According to one legend, the Roman festival Lupercalis/Lupercalia is known to be related to Valentines Day. Valentines Day was a fertility celebration observed on February 15 every year. However, the rise of Christianity witnessed many pagan holidays that were renamed and dedicated to early Christian martyrs. The time honored Lupercalia, was eventually turned into a Christian feast in honor of Saint Valentine. St Valentine was a Roman martyr and it is he who is honored in the modern Valentines Day celebrations.

The Catholic Encyclopedia contradicts the myth and states that there were at least 3 early Christian saints by that name but the surprising fact is that all three are known to have been martyred on the 14th of February. There are many mythological stories but it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine became associated with love.

The Catholic and Protestant versions state that Saint Valentine was a bishop who held secret wedding ceremonies while Claudius II opposed it. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men made bad soldiers as they were more attached with their families. Therefore, he issued an edict which forbade marriage and ensured quality soldiers. This law came as a huge disappointment for Romans who secretly wedded with the help of the Bishop. Claudius got him arrested and the Bishop was in turn in love with his jailor Asterius' daughter.

On failing to renounce his religion, St Valentine was executed on February 14, 270 AD. Thus 14TH February came to be celebrated as Valentines Day. Today Valentines Day is one of the most prominent festivals celebrated in the world and observed largely by the youth, not merely in catholic nations but also in non catholic societies world-wide.

By: Amrith K.A.

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