The History Behind Valentines Day

The History Behind Valentines Day


Growing up, I was told that Valentines Day was a Christian holiday that celebrated true love. A man named Valentine was martyred for marrying couples when it was against the law, and was killed for it on February 14th.

 Imagine my disappointment when I found out that this is only a legend with little to no fact.

The truth is, there are three men named Valentine that were martyred on February 14th, but the only information we have about them is their name, the fact that they were martyred, and where they are buried.

Because of the lack of information we have on Saint Valentine, the Catholic church actually removed the holiday from their calendar in 1969.

The holiday of "Valentine's Day" was actually a substitute for very pagan Roman traditions. Of February 14th and 15th, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. This was a celebration of the god of women and fertility. The feast consisted of beating women in hopes that they would be more fertile, and a lot of immorality and paganism.

Later, the Catholic church tried to change the holiday, and that's when they brought out the legend of Saint Valentine.

Aren't you glad that Valentines is now a happy holiday of chocolate, flowers, and a nice dinner?

Today I'm also blogging at Stitches Thru Time with a Valentine's Day interview with Author Darlene Franklin! Click over to read the interview!

http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/2015/02/valentines-day-interview-with-darlene.html

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