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Each year, on February 14, people around the world go all out to find their beloved that perfect gift or card! But how did this holiday of love and romance originate?
St. Valentine Basilica in Terni, Umbria (Italy)
Love & marriage champion!
Who was St. Valentine? Legend has it that he was a priest from Terni, Italy, who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. His martyrdom took place on February 14, AD 270.
St Valentine is the patron saint of Terni, Italy.
The Basilica Di San Valentino contains the tomb of the saint
with the words “patron saint of love” inscribed on it in gold.
The first Valentine...
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison awaiting his fate, he sent messages to friends and relatives saying, “Remember your Valentine” and “I love you”.
How did Valentine's Day originate?
In ancient Rome people observed February 14 as a day to honour Juno, the Queen of Roman gods and goddesses and the goddess of women and marriage. On the following day, February 15, was the festival of Lupercalia dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. According to legend, after various sacrifices, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.Around 498 AD, Valentine was officially recognized as a saint by the Church, with February 14, the day of his martyrdom, fixed as his memorial day. Lupercalia at the time was a very popular festival in Rome and it was difficult to eradicate a well-established ceremony. Pope Gelasius then outlawed the 800-year-old Lupercalian festival and approved of the new celebration of St Valentine's Day.
Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance.
The oldest known valentines still in existence today are a collection of poems written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while imprisoned for 25 years in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The 60 love poems written in 1415, are now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.
Remnants of love
In 1835, a portion of the remains of St. Valentine was given to the Irish Carmelites. The black and gold casket containing the remains can be viewed every Valentine's Day at the Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin, Ireland.The Benedictine priests of the Blessed John Duns Scotus Church in Glasgow, Scotland, however, seem to have the saint's most prized possession. In 1868, the Vatican gave them nothing less than the remains of St. Valentine's heart!
Romeo & Juliet“My bounty is as boundless as the sea,My love as deep: the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.” (Juliet, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, II.2)  William Shakespeare (1564-1616) tells of Romeo and Juliet's passion for each other, matched by the passion of family feuds. We are led to consider love's sacrifice, endearing purity and innocence, as well as sorrow and suffering. Romeo and Juliet are caught in a world that rips apart their souls in its assault against the only thing they think worth living for. Their death has captivated audiences for over 400 years. |
Shah Jahan & Mumtaz Mahal Emperor of India from 1628 to 1658, Shah Jahan commissioned one of history's most spectacular buildings, the Taj Mahal, in honour of his much beloved wife. After his father's death in 1627, Shah Jahan won power after a struggle with his brothers, crowning himself emperor at Agra in 1628. At his side was Mumtaz Mahal, his wife since 1612. In 1631, Mumtaz died after giving birth to the couple's 14th child. Six months after her death, the grieving emperor ordered construction to begin on the world's most beautiful mausoleum for her. Set across the Yamuna River from the royal palace in Agra, the white marble of the Taj Mahal reflects differing hues of light throughout the day, glowing pink at sunrise and pearly white in the moonlight. At its centre, surrounded by delicate screens filtering light, lies the cenotaph or coffin, containing the remains of the Shah's beloved queen.
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