The History of Valentine’s Day – A Valentin nap eredete

St. Valentine’s Day was first celebrated around 500 AD, but February had been a month associated with romance for more than a thousand years before then.
In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. People cleaned their houses and said prayers to the pagan gods of fertility.
A fertility festival called Lupercalia was held on 15th February every year. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would each choose the name of a young woman out of a barrel. The young man and woman would become paired for the rest of the year. Couples often ended up marrying.
In 260 AD, Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for all young men. He believed that single men made better soldiers than married men and he wanted his army to be as strong as possible. A priest at the time, named Valentine, felt that the law was unfair and continued to perform secret marriage ceremonies for young lovers.
When Claudius found out, he ordered Valentine’s execution. While in prison waiting for his execution, Valentine fell in love with the young daughter of his jailer. Just before his death (on February 14th), he wrote her a love letter which he signed ‘From your Valentine’, an expression still used today.
In 498 AD Pope Gelasius saw his opportunity to replace the pagan festival of Lupercalia with a Christian one. He outlawed Lupercalia and declared 14th February St. Valentine’s Day. So, more than 200 years after Valentine’s death, he became the patron saint of lovers. St. Valentine’s Day became the date when lovers all over the world send each other messages of love.
The oldest valentine message, which still exists, is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London in 1415. The card can be seen today in the British Museum in London.

2. In ancient Rome, which season started in February?
Spring

3. What did people do then?
Cleaned their houses and prayed

4. When did Romans celebrate Lupercalia?
15th February

5. How did young men choose a partner during the festival?
They picked the names of young women from a barrel

6. What happened in 260 AD?
Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriages for young men

7. What was the name of the priest who broke the law?
Valentine

8. What did the emperor do when he heard about the priest’s actions?
He ordered his execution

9. Who did the priest fall in love with?
The daughter of his jailer

10. When did the priest die?
14th February

11. What did Pope Gelasius do?
Replacced Lupercalia with St Valentine’s Day

12. Who wrote the oldest existing valentine’s message and who did he write it to?
Charles, The Duke of Orleans. He wrote it to his wife.

13. Where was he when he wrote the poem?
In the Tower of London

14. Where can you see it now?
In the British Museum, London