Why is Valentine’s Day Celebrated?

Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 every year. On this day, people exchange greetings, gifts, candies, etc. There are various stories concerning the history of Valentine’s Day.

As per the Catholic Church, there were three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. All of these saints were martyred. According, to one of the legends, Valentine was a priest. He used to serve during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II felt that single men serve better soldiers than those who are married, he outlawed marriage of young soldiers. Valentine felt the injustice behind this decision and helped the young soldiers perform marriages secretly. When Claudius became aware of this, he ordered to kill Valentine. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with a young girl and sent the first “Valentine greeting” to her. Although there are numerous stories concerning the history of Valentine’s Day, but all of them suggest one thing that Valentine was a sympathetic, heroic, romantic figure. It is believed that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the mid of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death. Some others claim that Christian Church placed St. Valentine’s feast Day in the middle of February in order to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Lupercalia is a fertility festival, dedicated to Faunus, the Roman God of agriculture. At the end of 5^th Century, Lupercalia was outlawed and February 14 was declared as St. Valentine’s Day. Since then, this day is celebrated like a festival all over the world.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day