As we enter the month of February, we also open a soft spot for displaying our love to our loved ones: cards, flowers, teddy bears, chocolate, and hearts are displayed everywhere during this one month of the year, but why February? Who chose this month to be known as the month of love?
Valentine’s Day, as we know it now, came to be in various legends, yet the most popular one is this: The emperor of Ancient Rome (Claudius ll) outlawed marriages for younger men; since he thought they fought better in battle if they were unmarried. Saint Valentine did not agree with the Emperor’s established law and secretly married young soldiers to their lovers.
Saint Valentine’s doings were uncovered, leading to him being jailed and sent to be executed on February 14. Before he was sent to his deathbed, he healed the daughter of his guard; falling in love with her, he left the woman a love note on the day of his sentence, and signed ‘’from your Valentine.’’ To this day, such a salutation is still used during this time of year. He was later martyred as a saint, but his name was removed from the Roman Liturgical Calendar in 1969. Though he’s still considered a saint, and his name also replaced the pagan Roman celebrations of Lupercalia (a celebration of fertility involving blood sacrifices).
Now the date February 14th is celebrated as a symbolic day to show affection not only romantically, but to your friends and family as well. Currently, Valentine’s Day does not revolve a lot around the history behind it, but about telling the people you care about that they matter to you and that you see them. After all, there’s a reason why Valentine’s Day is the second largest holiday for gifting others with greeting cards, with around 145 million cards being exchanged industry-wide, according to Hallmark. So take a minute this month, and tell the people close to you that you love and care for them!
XOXO
