Why celebrate valentines day

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. History Vault.

The Legend of St. Recommended for you. History of Valentine's Day. History Shorts: The First Valentine. Who Was the Real St. The Many Myths Behind the Inspiration for Valentine's Day 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. Valentine 1. History of St. 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. The second priest, the Bishop Valentine of Terni, was also a miracle worker. Known for his ability to heal physical disabilities, a scholar sent for the bishop to heal his only son, who could not speak or straighten his body.

After a night of prayer, the bishop healed the boy—and the family, along with visiting scholars, converted to Christianity. St Valentine's Day is an annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration.

Every year on 14 February people celebrate this day by sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends. Couples send Valentine's Day cards and flowers and spend special time together to honour their love for each other.

There are many stories about St Valentine and over time these stories grew into the legend we know today. At the time of Valentine's life, many Romans were converting to Christianity, but the Emperor Claudius II was a pagan and created strict laws about what Christians were allowed to do.

Claudius believed that Roman soldiers should be completely devoted to Rome and therefore passed a law preventing them from marrying. St Valentine began to marry these soldiers in secret Christian ceremonies and this was the beginning of his reputation for believing in the importance of love. Eventually, Valentine was found out and jailed for his crimes against Claudius.

While imprisoned, Valentine cared for his fellow prisoners and also his jailor's blind daughter. We hear a lot of amazing Chipolo stories and we recently came across one that instantly became our favorite.

Everything is better with cookies! We use cookies that ensure you get the best experience on our webpage. Unfortunately there are no chocolate chips inside, you can not eat them and there is no hidden jar. By toggling the options below, you allow Chipolo to use cookies:. It seems like you are on the wrong store compared to your location. Please select your location from the dropdown menu. Best prices of the year are almost here!

Sign up and be the first to know.