Valentine's Day, the 'day of love' is upon us. This day fills romance into the air. Red roses, heart-shaped balloons, chocolates, love letters and all lovely things have become the modern-day symbol for 'V-Day'. People now see this day in a completely different light than what it was in the past.
Most of us are familiar with the popular narrative that suggests that the Catholic church hosted the first Valentine's Day feast to honour the two Valentines who were murdered by Roman Emperor Claudius 2 on February 14. But, many also believe that Valentine's Day even has a darker history.
The tale of 'Valentine's day' coming into existence traces back to the ancient Roman empire. Legends have it that ancient Romans celebrated a fertility festival called Lupercalia in mid-February. This festival was dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture and Faunas and the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
Stories suggest, Romans used to practice various rituals during the festivities. One of the rituals reportedly included Roman priests, running around naked through the streets and 'gently slapping' women with the blood-soaked hides of sacrificed animals. They believed this act prompted fertility.
Britannica.com states that the ladies were then partnered with men by lottery. People would pick names written on a chit inside a jar, and they had to mate with the selected person and were forced to live a life as man and wife. It was in the late fifth century BCE, Pope Gelasius 1 reportedly made this "fertility" festival illegal. It is said that he replaced Lupercalia with Valentine's Day. Hence, emerged the day of love.
Read: Valentine's Day 2023: Valentine's Day gifting suggestions for partner who is into sports and fitness
In the late 1700s, Valentine's Day became a commercial hit with the emergence of manufactured cards. In the mid-1800s, the first commercial Valentines were printed in the United States.
