Some believe it was inspired by a now extinct plant called Silphium from the African city state of Cyrene. The shapes of its leaves were heart shaped and the plant was used for food coloring, a cough syrup and an aphrodisiac. Scientist at the University of Rochester did a study that found people were more attracted to others who wore red.
Lupercalia was popular and one of the few pagan holidays still celebrated years after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire. When Pope Gelasius came to power in the late fifth century he put an end to Lupercalia. Soon after, the Catholic church declared February 14 to be a day of feasts to celebrate the martyred Saint Valentine. According to Noel Lenski , a historian at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Lupercalia was "clearly a very popular thing, even in an environment where the Christians are trying to close it down.
Jack B. By some estimations there are over 10, saints , of which there are more than 30 Valentines and even a few Valentinas. Two Valentines stand out as likely candidates for the namesake saint, but neither dealt with matters of the heart. The two Valentines share many similarities, leading some researchers to wonder whether they were the same man.
Both Valentines were martyrs, put to death by the Roman Emperor Claudius in the third century. Both men were also said to have died on February 14, although years apart. The first Valentine was a priest who was arrested during the Roman persecutions of Christians.
When brought before the emperor, Valentine refused to renounce his faith and as punishment was placed under house arrest. The head of the house holding Valentine challenged the priest to show the true power of God. Soon, Valentine restored sight to a young blind girl and the whole house converted. Once word of the miracle and conversion reached the Emperor, Valentine was executed.
It wasn't until more than years later that 14 February was proclaimed St Valentine's Day. By this time Rome had become Christian and the Catholic Church was determined to stamp out any remaining paganism. A pagan fertility ritual was held in February each year and the Pope abolished this festival and proclaimed 14 February Saint Valentine's Day, thus establishing this feast day on the Catholic Calendar of Saints.
This was the beginning of the tradition of courtly love, a ritual of expressing love and admiration, usually in secret. This custom spread throughout Europe and stories grew about a High Court of Love where female judges would rule on issues related to love on 14 February each year. Historians believe that these meetings were in fact gatherings where people read love poetry and played games of flirtation.
The practice of sending love messages developed into people sending special cards expressing their affection. These cards were beautiful creations handmade by the sender and individually designed to show how much they loved the recipient. Cards would usually contain sentimental verse, proclaiming the beauty of the receiver and how much they were loved.
On February 14, when we share chocolates, special dinners, or doily cards with our loved ones, we do it in the name of Saint Valentine. But who was this saint of romance? Search the internet, and you can find plenty of stories about him—or them. One Saint Valentine was The St. Valentine who inspired the holiday may have been two different men. Officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, St.
Valentine is known to be a real person who died around A. However, his true identity was questioned as early as A. Gang warfare ruled the streets of Chicago during the late s, as chief gangster Al Capone sought to consolidate control by eliminating his rivals in The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over 1, years. On St.
Lupercalia was an ancient pagan festival held each year in Rome on February But where did this tradition come from? Live TV. This Day In History.
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