• Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Magazine
  • Important Dates
  • About
  • Trust
  • Survey
  • Contact
  • Support Us
01295 367 008
No Result
View All Result
Read This Magazine
  • Culture
  • lifestyle
  • Food & Drink
  • Reviews
  • Culture
  • lifestyle
  • Food & Drink
  • Reviews
No Result
View All Result
Read This Magazine
No Result
View All Result
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Magazine
  • Important Dates
  • About
  • Trust
  • Survey
  • Contact
  • Support Us
Home Culture

Valentine’s Day History: The Ancient Roots of Valentine’s Day

Read This Magazine by Read This Magazine
7 February 2024
in Culture, History
Valentine's Day Feature

Valentine’s Day, a timeless celebration of love and affection, continues to captivate hearts worldwide, but what is its historical significance?

From ancient Roman festivals linked to fertility and the martyrdom of Saint Valentine in the third century to the romantic gestures of today, Valentine’s Day has evolved significantly. Celebrated annually on February 14th and universally recognised as a time for expressing love and affection, it’s a special day for existing – and prospective lovers – but from where does the idea originate?

The answer, it seems, dates back thousands of years – the earliest association of Valentine’s Day to romantic and love being traced back to the ancient festival of Lupercalia.

This celebration, held in Rome, was a rite of passage for young men and included a matchmaking lottery, where young men and women were paired off for the duration of the festival… and sometimes longer if the chemistry was right.

The Christian Rebranding of Valentine’s Day

As Christianity spread throughout Europe, pagan holidays were often rebranded with Christian significance. In the case of Valentine’s Day, it was associated with the martyrdom of two men, both named Valentine, the more famous being Valentine of Terni, who were executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd Century.

Their martyrdom was honoured by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day, and so the die was cast. However, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that the date, 14th of February, and the day were definitively linked with love and the tradition of exchanging greeting cards.

Literature and the Romanticization of Valentine’s Day

As poetry and literature began to put thoughts and emotions down on paper for people to read and share, the concept certainly became influenced by the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer and his contemporaries. The ‘father of literature’, who lived in the 15th Century, regularly romanticised in poetry and prose the notion of “courtly love” – thus the idea of celebrating romantic resplendence on Valentine’s Day gained popularity throughout Britain and Europe.

Valentine's Day

The Evolution of Valentine’s Day Celebrations

By the 17th Century, it had become a widespread tradition in England and Scotland. People of all social classes expressed their love for each other with small gifts and handwritten notes.

The Victorian era ushered in new opportunities for celebrating the occasion, and cards began to replace handwritten notes. Valentine’s day cards were often elaborately decorated with lace and ribbons, reflecting the emerging trend for ornate designs.

In the United States, Valentine’s Day was catching on rapidly in the second half of the 19th Century. Esther Howland, known as the ‘Mother of the Valentine,’ began selling the first mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards in America , which often included floral designs.

Valentine’s Day in the Modern Era

Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a multitude of ways around the globe, accompanied with all the inevitable commerciality you would expect of modern society. Technology has also strongly influenced the celebration of the annual event with gestures that transcend physical gifts and boundaries – great for those in long-distance relationships or separated by circumstance.

And while Western countries primarily view it as a time to celebrate romance, some Eastern cultures use Valentines to express affection toward friends and family members.

Inclusion and Singles Awareness Day

Finally, for those who spend the day alone, the kindness of the human spirit has brought about Singles Awareness Day on February 15th in many countries.

At the heart of Valentine’s Day, it stands as a celebration of love, appreciation and human connection – an exemplar of the love and kindness we have felt, and will continue to feel, for one another.

Tags: Valentine's Day

RelatedPosts

Simon Reeve Interview Feature
Culture

Simon Reeve Interview

23 May 2025
Edinburgh Fringe Sell-Out Comes To Banbury!
Culture

Edinburgh Fringe Sell-Out Comes To Banbury!

23 May 2025

Newsletter

Join Our Newsletter
  Thank you for Signing Up
Please correct the marked field(s) below.
1,true,6,Contact Email,2
Simon Reeve Interview Feature

Simon Reeve Interview

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

From remote tribes to war zones, adventurer, broadcaster and filmmaker Simon Reeve has travelled to the edges of the map...

Edinburgh Fringe Sell-Out Comes To Banbury!

Edinburgh Fringe Sell-Out Comes To Banbury!

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

We’re thrilled to welcome After All (30th June) to The Mill Arts Centre’s stage – a moving and thought-provoking dance-theatre...

Gardener’s Diary for June 25

Gardener’s Diary June 25: As Summer Arrives

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

As summer arrives in my gardener’s diary June 25 edition at Farnborough Garden Centre. We can start to enjoy the...

picnic food ideas feature

Picnic Food Ideas for Summer Days Out

by Read This Magazine
23 May 2025

There’s something truly special about eating outdoors. Whether it’s the soft rustle of trees in the breeze, the smell of...

Newsletter

Join Our Newsletter
  Thank you for Signing Up
Please correct the marked field(s) below.
1,true,6,Contact Email,2
Read This Magazine

© 2023 Read This Magazine

Navigate Site

  • Business Terms & Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Local Adverting in Banbury, advert in magazine
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • Advertise
  • Newsletter
  • Magazine
  • Culture
    • Charity
    • Community
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • Events
    • Film
    • History
    • Interviews
    • Music
    • Reading
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty
    • Environment
    • Fashion
    • Finance
    • Gardens
    • Health
    • Homes
    • Motors
    • Parenting
    • Pets
    • Sport
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Wellbeing
  • Food & Drink
    • Baking
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Product
  • Important Dates
  • About
  • Trust
  • Survey
  • Contact
  • Support Us
01295 367008

© 2023 Read This Magazine