Valentine's Day Facts

Valentine's Day has existed for more than 16 centuries.

On February 14, many countries around the world celebrate Valentine's Day.

The holidays of Love have been known since the times of ancient pagan cultures.

The Romans celebrated the festival of eroticism in the mid of February.

The festival of eroticism was called Lupercalia.

It honored the goddess of love Juno Februata.

The story of Valentine’s day dates back to around 269.

The Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor Claudius II.

The fighting Roman army experienced an acute shortage of soldiers for military campaigns.

And he military commander was convinced that the main enemy of his military plans was marriages, becausea married legionary thinks much less about the glory of the empire than about how to feed the family.

In order to keep the soldiers' spirit, the emperor issued a decree forbidding the legionaries to marry. But the soldiers did not fall in love less.

However there was a man who did not fearimperial wrath.

And he began secretly to marry legionaries with their beloved.

This fearless priest was named Valentine from the Roman city of Terni (Valentine of Terni). Apparently, he was a real romantic, as his favorite pastime was to reconcile the quarreled, help write love letters and give flowers at the request of legionaries to theirbeloved.

As soon as the emperor learned about this, he decided to stop his "criminal activity".

Valentine was sentenced to death.

The tragedy of the situation was also in the fact that Valentin himself was in love with the daughter of the jailer.

The day before the execution the priest wrote a farewell letter to the girl, where he told about his love, and he signed it "Your Valentine".

After he was executed, his beloved read the farewell letter.

Subsequently, as a Christian martyr, who suffered for the faith, Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church.

And in 496, the Roman Pope Gelasius (Pope Gelasius I) announced February 14 as St. Valentine's Day.

Since 1969, as a result of the reform of the worship service, Saint Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church (along with other Roman saints whose information on life is contradictory and unreliable).

However, before 1969 the church did not approve and did not support the traditions of celebrating this day.

On Valentine's Day it is customary to give each other presents and "valentines".

On this holiday young people like to arrange weddings and get married. It is believed that this will be the key to eternal love.

In Western Europe, Valentine's Day has been widely celebrated since the 13th century, in the United States - since 1777.

The tradition of giving presents on this day has been growing every year and for some has become quite a successful business.

For example, at the beginning of the last century, Americans were supposed to send marzipans to their brides.

The Japanese began to celebrate Valentine's Day in the 30s, and until now chocolate remains the most common gift.Valentine's Day is slightly like "March 8 for Japanese men, because Japanese men receive, perhaps, even more gifts than women: men's accessories like razor, lotion, wallet and so on.

The passionate Frenchmen on the Valentine's Day are usually given jewelry, and in romantic Denmark, people send dried flowers to each other.

In Britain, unmarried girls on February 14 rise before sunrise, stand near the window and look at the passing men. According to the belief, the first man they see will be the one who is an intended husband.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where this holiday is officially banned, and, under pain of heavy fines.