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Happy Valentine’s Day 2023: Valentine’s Day annually falls on February 14, and people celebrate the day of love with much fervour.
Here’s all you need to know about the history, significance, why we celebrate the day on February 14, and some interesting facts about the season of Cupid.
Lovers all across the globe gear up to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. Valentine’s Day is the last day of Valentine’s Week.
People pamper their significant other, crush or potential partner on this day with grand gestures, gifts, romantic dates, and more to express their love.
Some people also mark Valentine’s Day as a self-love day and indulge themselves by splurging on self-care or participating in activities they love. Whether you are single or not, Valentine’s Day is all about being in love and celebrating love.
While many couples celebrate this cupid season, not many know the history and significance of Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century.
The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14.
The day became associated with love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished with the association of “lovebirds” of early spring. Additionally, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 ce by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.
Valentine’s Day History and Significance:
There are many stories behind the origin of Valentine’s Day. According to one of the more popular legends, Valentine’s Day has its origin in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February.
Celebrated during the onset of spring, in this festival women were paired with men through a lottery.
It is believed that Pope Gelasius I replaced this festival with St. Valentine’s Day, and over a period of time from about the 14th century, it was celebrated as a day of romance.
Another legend says that St Valentine was executed on February 14 as a punishment for performing secret marriages to save the husbands from going to war, as they were banned by Roman emperor Claudius II.
Meanwhile, Valentine’s Day is popularly symbolised by the angel of love, Cupid. According to Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, and the bow and arrow of Cupid depict piercing a heart and casting the spell of love.
Therefore, this festival is all about celebrating the feeling of being in love.