Valentine's Day is coming…

Where does Valentine’s Day come from?

Valentine’s Day is mostly associated with the Roman Empire.

The 14th of February was a day when the goddess of marriage and family, Juno, was honored in ancient Rome. The day of honouring Juno was followed by the famous Lupercalia festival that young people looked forward to the most. The night before the party, on the 14th of February, young men had a chance to write a girl’s name on the paper, the papers were put into a big jug and every man pulled out a paper from there with a girl’s name on it. It was the girl he could spend the festival with. Boys and girls didn’t have many opportunities to spend time together at that time so often men and women found their partner for the rest of their lives like that.

These celebrations and rituals were banned because emperor Claudius ll thought men didn’t want to go to war anymore as they didn’t want to leave their family. All the marriages and engagements were banned but the priest Saint Valentine still conducted engagements and marriage ceremonies in secret. Therefore, Saint Valentine was put into prison where he fell in love with the prison guard’s blind daughter Julia and he gave the girl her eyesight back. News of the miracle spread fast and the Roman authorities decided to execute Valentine. In the morning of the execution day, on the 14th of February, Valentine had supposedly sent Julia a letter where he noted below “From your Valentine”.

In 496, Pope Gelasius named the 14th of February as Valentine’s Day and Valentine as the patron of lovers.

Valentine’s Day is also associated with the beginning of the mating season of birds and bees which, according to medieval understanding, began on the 14th of February.

How is Valentine’s Day celebrated in different countries?

Valentine’s Day is understood and celebrated differently in different countries. Valentine’s Day was considered as the day of love and falling in love at first. Over time the 14th of February has become a day in many countries when there is a chance to show attention to the one’s close to your heart. Very exciting traditions have arisen from that:

In Japan, chocolate is gifted as an expression of love and chocolate is also used to remember close friends and relatives.

The Danes and the Norwegians have a tradition to send secret postcards to each other. These are short and fun love rhymes and they are sent anonymously, the number of the sender’s name being the only hint. If the sender is recognised, he or she owns the receiver a chocolate egg and if not, the receiver has to make a present instead.

In Wales, it is a long tradition to make a practical present – a spoon that has various love patterns and symbols carved into it.

In Italy, where Valentine’s Day is said to have begun, the day is celebrated with a romantic dinner. The loved one is given a box of dark chocolate or nuts with a romantic message added to it.