An interesting story about Valentine's Day for children and adults.
On February 14, Valentine's Day is celebrated - the patron saint of all lovers. This is the most romantic holiday in the world, when everyone confesses their love to each other, gives touching gifts and valentines to their loved ones. For more than eighteen centuries there has been a tradition of celebrating this holiday. Despite the fact that the name of the holiday contains the word “holy,” it has nothing to do with religion, since it is a secular holiday. However, we associate February 14th with St. Valentine.
There are a lot of legends and rumors about Valentine's Day. So who is Saint Valentine who presented this holiday as a gift to the whole world?
It is believed that in fact the Saint Valentines, who were venerated on the same day and died on Ancient Rome in 269 (270?) there were two. But now no one reliably remembers which of them the holiday was dedicated to. What is known is that one of the saints, a younger one, served in Rome as a preacher and worked as a doctor. During the persecution of Christians by Emperor Claudius, he was executed. Another Valentine, Bishop of Terni, lived near Rome and died a martyr’s death at the hands of the pagans in the same year 269 (270?).
Much in the legends about St. Valentine converges and intertwines, but each of them has some kind of peculiarity that makes it different from the others.
Most versions converge on the first Valentine, who was a preacher and physician and lived in the 3rd century in the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Claudius. A difficult and cruel fate befell him. The fact is that the warrior emperor issued a decree according to which his soldiers could not marry in order to have joy family life did not distract them from their service. Valentin ignored Claudius's ban and married the lovers in secret. For these illegal acts he was captured and imprisoned.
The priest's jailer, having learned that the prisoner, among other things, had the gift of healing, brought his blind daughter to him. Valentin healed the girl, the young people fell in love with each other, but their happiness was not destined to work out - Valentin was executed.
However, the day of his death - February 14 - remained forever in people's memory as a symbol of the all-conquering power of love. It is also symbolic that the date of the execution of Saint Valens coincided with the Roman festivals in honor of the goddess of love Juno. Subsequently, Valentine was buried in Rome (according to other sources, some of his relics are located in his homeland in the city of Terni, and some are in the Church of St. Anthony in Madrid). It is not surprising that they did not forget about Valentine and chose him as the patron saint of all people in love. As a Christian martyr who suffered for the faith, he was canonized by the Catholic Church. In 496, Pope Gelasius declared February 14th Valentine's Day.
Since then, every year on February 14, people remembered Valentine and organized a Valentine's Day. On this day, girls and boys got together, wrote names on pieces of paper and threw these pieces of paper into a jug, then each pulled out one piece of paper and found out the name of their lover.
How everything really happened, we don’t know and will never know, but one thing is obvious - St. Valentine died in the name of love.
There is another version of the origin of the holiday. According to it, Valentine's Day originated from the Roman holiday of Lupercalia, celebrated in honor of the god Faun (Lupercus), the patron saint of flocks. The celebration took place annually on February 15th. In ancient times, on this day all the Romans stopped what they were doing and started having fun. Over time, the holiday changed, new rituals appeared.
The main task that everyone had to accomplish on this day was to find their soul mate. So after the end of the holiday it was created a large number of new families.
Over time, Valentine's Day acquired its own rituals, some of which have survived to this day. In each country, the traditions were different, although what was common and unchanged for all peoples and times was that it is very popular to arrange weddings and get married on this day.
Some beliefs also say that on this holiday, a woman can approach a man dear to her and politely ask him to marry her. If the young man is not yet ready to take such a decisive step, then he should politely thank for the honor and give the woman a silk dress, and buy himself a silk cord with a heart strung on it.
In other countries, the tradition of donating clothes is somewhat modified. Thus, lovers give clothes to unmarried women as gifts. If a girl accepts and leaves a gift, it means she agrees to marry this person.
IN different times V different countries There were various beliefs. For example, the first man a girl meets on this day should be her Valentine, regardless of his wishes.
Some people believed that if a girl saw a robin on Valentine's Day, then her husband would be a sailor; if she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man, but be happy with him; and if she saw a goldfinch, she would become the wife of a millionaire.
Valentine's Day in England
In medieval England, this custom was popular: several guys got together, wrote the names of girls on pieces of paper, put them in a hat and drew lots. That girl whose name was missing young man, for a year she became his “Valentine”, and he became her “Valentine”.
“Valentine” had to treat his “Valentine” in a special way: compose sonnets in her honor, play the lute, and was also obliged to accompany the girl everywhere; in a word, behave like a real knight.
There was a tradition of dressing children up as adults. Having been reincarnated in this way, the children went from house to house and sang songs about St. Valentine.
Nowadays, the British understand love somewhat differently; this concept has expanded, since Valentine's Day is congratulated not only on people, but also on beloved animals, for example, horses or dogs.
In Wales, on February 14, in the old days, wooden “love spoons” were carved, which they then gave to their loved ones. The spoons were decorated with various hearts, keys and keyholes, which said: “you have found the way to my heart.”
Valentine's Day in America
The Americans also had their own traditions. At the beginning of the 19th century, on Valentine's Day, they sent marzipan products to their brides. However, the treat included sugar, which was very expensive in those days. This custom became truly widespread after sugar beets began to be processed in 1800. The Americans urgently set up caramel production on the continent and began scratching words corresponding to the holiday onto the sweets. Caramels were made in red and white, since red symbolized passion, and white symbolized the purity of love. In the 50s of the 19th century, sweets began to be placed in heart-shaped cardboard boxes.
Valentine's Day in Japan
In Japan, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated in the 1930s. This tradition did not start on its own, but at the instigation of one large company engaged in the production of chocolate. Chocolate, by the way, is still the most common gift on this day.
Nowadays, the Japanese have turned this holiday into “March 8 for men.” On this day, gifts in Japan are received mainly by representatives of the stronger sex. And, accordingly, it is customary to give various men’s accessories; razors, lotions, brushes, etc.
And on this day, the residents of Japan hold an event called “The Loudest Love Confession” - boys and girls climb onto the platform and take turns shouting love confessions with all their might.
How Valentine's Day is celebrated in other countries
The French customary to give gifts on Valentine's Day Jewelry. And the romantic French were the first to introduce “Valentines” as love letters and quatrains.
Balanced and calm Poles prefer to visit on this day
Poznan metropolis, where, according to legend, the relics of St. Valentine rest, and above the main altar is his miraculous icon. The Poles believe that if you pray to the image, it will definitely help you in your love affairs.
In Italy, Valentine's Day is celebrated very differently. Men of this country consider it their duty to present their beloved with gifts, mainly sweets, on this holiday. This is most likely why in Italy this day is called “sweet”.
Conservative Germans adhere to the point of view that Valentine is the patron saint of the mentally ill, so on this day they decorate psychiatric hospitals with scarlet ribbons and hold special services in chapels.
Valentine's Day, which is celebrated annually on February 14, has long been shrouded in various mysteries and legends of its origin. Some supporters of the holiday of lovers attach a romantic meaning to this day, while others regard it only for commercial reasons. However, it is still worth finding out where we can take the origins and history of a well-known date from.
Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day is not only a holiday of romance, love and tenderness. According to various sources, the holiday is shrouded in many legends, and no one knows for sure whether Saint Valentine existed and whether he really gave his beloved a romantic Valentine for the first time.
Priest Valentine
According to one legend in 269 AD. Roman Emperor Claudius II sought to conquer the whole world, but to carry out expansion he had to collect strong army. Since the family institution kept men out of military service, the emperor issued a decree forbidding marriage during military service.
However, the young priest Valentine, who was still engaged in natural sciences and medicine, did not listen to the orders of Claudius II and secretly married lovers. When the emperor found out about this, he sentenced Valentine to death. But while waiting for the execution of the death sentence, Valentine in prison fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailer Julia and healed her.
Before the execution, he left her a farewell message and signed it "Your Valentine". It is with this incredible moment and manifestation of love that the appearance of Valentine's Day and the custom of giving valentines are associated. The priest was beheaded, and later Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church. In 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th to be Saint Valentine's Day.
Mastermind of Christianity Valentine
According to another legend, Valentine's Day originated as a memory of the Christian Valentine, who was a real inspiration to others. During the secret wedding of the Roman patricians (representatives of the indigenous Roman people), they were all detained.
As a representative of the upper class, Valentine could avoid execution, but his servants did not have such a privilege. However, they continued to admire him in the future and conduct secret marriage ceremonies under his cover.
The Three Martyrs of Valentine
As reported in other legends and stories, there may have been at least three more men with the names of Valentine, who were martyred for the Christian faith.
In the earliest Roman chronograph of 354, nothing is said about them, but according to ancient legends, they all died no later than 270.
One of the Valentines was a priest and physician in Rome and died in 269 (the time of Emperor Claudius II). The second Valentine was a bishop in Terni (Italy) and died in 197. Two Valentines, who died martyrs for the Christian faith, were buried in the same cemetery (near the modern Porta del Popolo in Rome, now often referred to as "Saint Valentine's Gate").
Saint Valentine's Gate in Rome
Subsequently, the remains of the first Valentine were kept in one of the churches in Rome, and in 1836 Pope Gregory XVI handed over the remains to the church in Dublin, where they are still kept. The remains of the second Valentine are today in the Basilica of St. Valentine in Terni - in the city of his pastorate.
The third Valentine lived in Egypt around 100-153. He was a valuable candidate for the position of bishop of Rome (i.e., pope) and in his sermons extolled the values of marriage as the embodiment of Christian love. Almost nothing is known about the circumstances of his death and the place of burial.
pagan roots
Also, some sources note that Valentine's Day in Christian times replaced pagan holiday Lupercalia (in honor of the god Faun, and according to another version - in honor of the goddess of marriage, the family of Juno), which was also once celebrated annually on February 14. This replacement took place in 496 by order of the same Pope Gelasius I.
Valentine's Day: the history of the holiday on February 14
But there is nothing surprising in such a practice, since the dates of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ and the Nativity of John Kupala, which fall on pagan festivals in honor of the winter and summer solstices (around December 25 and July 7, respectively), were chosen according to this principle.
Patron saint of the mentally ill
In the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Valentine is officially considered not the patron saint of lovers, but the patron saint of people suffering from nervous diseases. That is why the icons often depict Valentine in the clothes of a priest or bishop, who heals a young man from epilepsy or mental disorders. Then such people were called mentally ill.
Saint Valentine was the patron saint of the mentally ill
Saint Valentine was the patron saint of the mentally ill
According to church tradition, at the grave of St. Valentine, a young man who suffered from epilepsy prayed for a long time and recovered.
The Disappearance of Valentine's Day
As you know, Roman Catholics have 16 Saint Valentines and two Saint Valentines. In 1969, the patron saint of lovers was removed from the calendar of saints due to dubious historical justification. Now on February 14, Roman Catholics celebrate the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, whom Pope John II proclaimed the patron saints of Europe.
Today, the UGCC celebrates February 14 as the eve of the Candlemas and honoring the memory of the martyr Tryphon. The UOC also venerates the memory of the martyr Tryphon, Perpetua, Satire, Satornila and others. It is believed that in Western Europe Valentine's Day has been widely celebrated since the 13th century, in the USA - since 1777.
Valentine's Day: the history of the holiday on February 14
According to the latest information, the relics of the patron saint of lovers, Saint Valentine, have been preserved in the Church of the Nativity for three centuries in a row. Holy Mother of God in Sambir (Lviv region). The authenticity of the relic is allegedly confirmed by a document of the Pope of Rome dated 1759. As noted by Fr. Bogdan Dobryansky from the parish in Sambir, Saint Valentine was the patron of the Przemysl-Sambir diocese.
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Sambir (Lviv region)
The relics of St. Valentine in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Sambir (Lviv region)
History of Valentine's Day
According to legend, the ancient custom of sending cards to loved ones on Valentine's Day also originated in the Middle Ages. The very first Valentine in the world is considered to be a note sent by Duke Charles of Orleans in 1415.
Valentine's Day, which is celebrated annually on February 14, has long been shrouded in various mysteries and legends of its origin. Some supporters of the holiday of lovers attach a romantic meaning to this day, while others regard it only for commercial reasons. However, it is still worth finding out where we can take the origins and history of a well-known date from.
Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day is not only a holiday of romance, love and tenderness. According to various sources, the holiday is shrouded in many legends, and no one knows for sure whether Saint Valentine existed and whether he really gave his beloved a romantic Valentine for the first time.
Priest Valentine
According to one legend in 269 AD. Roman emperor Claudius II sought to conquer the whole world, but for the implementation of the expansion he had to collect a strong army. Since the family institution kept men out of military service, the emperor issued a decree forbidding marriage during military service.
However, the young priest Valentine, who was still engaged in natural sciences and medicine, did not listen to the orders of Claudius II and secretly married lovers. When the emperor found out about this, he sentenced Valentine to death. But while waiting for the execution of the death sentence, Valentine in prison fell in love with the blind daughter of the jailer Julia and healed her.
Before the execution, he left her a farewell message and signed it "Your Valentine". It is with this incredible moment and manifestation of love that the appearance of Valentine's Day and the custom of giving valentines are associated. The priest was beheaded, and later Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church. In 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th to be Saint Valentine's Day.
Mastermind of Christianity Valentine
According to another legend, Valentine's Day originated as a memory of the Christian Valentine, who was a real inspiration to others. During the secret wedding of the Roman patricians (representatives of the indigenous Roman people), they were all detained.
As a representative of the upper class, Valentine could avoid execution, but his servants did not have such a privilege. However, they continued to admire him in the future and conduct secret marriage ceremonies under his cover.
The Three Martyrs of Valentine
As reported in other legends and stories, there may have been at least three more men with the names of Valentine, who were martyred for the Christian faith.
In the earliest Roman chronograph of 354, nothing is said about them, but according to ancient legends, they all died no later than 270.
One of the Valentines was a priest and physician in Rome and died in 269 (the time of Emperor Claudius II). The second Valentine was a bishop in Terni (Italy) and died in 197. Two Valentines, who died martyrs for the Christian faith, were buried in the same cemetery (near the modern Porta del Popolo in Rome, now often referred to as "Saint Valentine's Gate").
Saint Valentine's Gate in Rome
Subsequently, the remains of the first Valentine were kept in one of the churches in Rome, and in 1836 Pope Gregory XVI handed over the remains to the church in Dublin, where they are still kept. The remains of the second Valentine are today in the Basilica of St. Valentine in Terni - in the city of his pastorate.
The third Valentine lived in Egypt around 100-153. He was a valuable candidate for the position of bishop of Rome (i.e., pope) and in his sermons extolled the values of marriage as the embodiment of Christian love. Almost nothing is known about the circumstances of his death and the place of burial.
pagan roots
Also, some sources note that in Christian times, Valentine's Day replaced the pagan holiday of Lupercalia (in honor of the god Faun, and according to another version - in honor of the goddess of marriage, the Juno family), which was also once celebrated annually on February 14. This replacement took place in 496 by order of the same Pope Gelasius I.
Valentine's Day: the history of the holiday on February 14
But there is nothing surprising in such a practice, since the dates of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ and the Nativity of John Kupala, which fall on pagan festivals in honor of the winter and summer solstices (around December 25 and July 7, respectively), were chosen according to this principle.
Patron saint of the mentally ill
In the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Valentine is officially considered not the patron saint of lovers, but the patron saint of people suffering from nervous diseases. That is why the icons often depict Valentine in the clothes of a priest or bishop, who heals a young man from epilepsy or mental disorders. Then such people were called mentally ill.
Saint Valentine was the patron saint of the mentally ill
Saint Valentine was the patron saint of the mentally ill
According to church tradition, at the grave of St. Valentine, a young man who suffered from epilepsy prayed for a long time and recovered.
The Disappearance of Valentine's Day
As you know, Roman Catholics have 16 Saint Valentines and two Saint Valentines. In 1969, the patron saint of lovers was removed from the calendar of saints due to dubious historical justification. Now on February 14, Roman Catholics celebrate the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, whom Pope John II proclaimed the patron saints of Europe.
Today, the UGCC celebrates February 14 as the eve of the Candlemas and honoring the memory of the martyr Tryphon. The UOC also venerates the memory of the martyr Tryphon, Perpetua, Satire, Satornila and others. It is believed that in Western Europe Valentine's Day has been widely celebrated since the 13th century, in the USA - since 1777.
Valentine's Day: the history of the holiday on February 14
According to the latest information, the relics of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, have been preserved in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sambir (Lviv region) for three centuries in a row. The authenticity of the relic is allegedly confirmed by a document of the Pope of Rome dated 1759. As noted by Fr. Bogdan Dobryansky from the parish in Sambir, Saint Valentine was the patron of the Przemysl-Sambir diocese.
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Sambir (Lviv region)
The relics of St. Valentine in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Sambir (Lviv region)
History of Valentine's Day
According to legend, the ancient custom of sending cards to loved ones on Valentine's Day also originated in the Middle Ages. The very first Valentine in the world is considered to be a note sent by Duke Charles of Orleans in 1415.
Valentine's Day is a day that all lovers in the world know. The day when it is customary to treat your significant other with special attention and show them all kinds of attention and give gifts.
For most of us, this holiday is associated with the legend of Father Valentine, who was executed by the despot emperor for breaking the law and marrying lovers. Was this really the case?
Today it is known for certain that this holiday dates back to Ancient Rome. It was then called Lupercalia (or the Festival of Eroticism) and was celebrated on February 14 in honor of the god Faun (Luperca) and the goddess of violent love Februata Juno. It appeared thanks to the Roman oracle, who predicted that if on this day naked men whip women with goatskin whips, then women will become more fertile and will be able to give birth healthy children. The Romans decided so. After the beating ceremony took place, the women also undressed. Then, according to the chronicles, orgies began. It is not known for certain whether the Romans had a demographic explosion after the introduction of such a holiday, but, undoubtedly, this “fun” should have led to an increase in the birth rate.
The festival of Lupercalia lasted quite a long time and already in the days of early Christianity greatly irritated priests who rejected everything pagan, especially the holiday of eroticism. In 494 AD, Pope Gelasius made every effort to stop the celebration, which he partially succeeded in doing. However, the common people could not refuse what they had been brought up with their mother's milk, and the holy fathers decided that the holiday, which had been honored for centuries, would receive a new patron - St. Valentine, which would hide the true motives for the fun on this day.
The legend that the church came up with to justify the celebration tells the following. The young priest Valentin broke the law by marrying young soldiers and their lovers, although it was forbidden to marry soldiers at that time. One day he met a girl who was blind from birth, but the girl’s father really asked the priest to help cure her. Valentin tried, applying medicinal herbs to the patient’s eyes and reading prayers at night. But the tyrant Claudius II, having learned about his help to lovers and breaking the law, caught him and executed him. From his captivity, Valentin managed to convey a message to the girl: a yellow saffron flower (crocus) and the message “From your Valentine.” The girl, having received the message, looked at the flower and saw it - so love brought her healing, and she became the first girl to receive a “Valentine”.
Arises main question- Did the real Valentine exist then? Where did he come from? Yes, there was such a priest, but he did not secretly marry anyone, and he was executed not on the 14th, on the day of the holiday, but on February 12, 269, for criticizing the power of Claudius and calling for the fulfillment of the covenants of Christ, and not the decrees of the emperor. Here's the story. Based on the date of execution, it was he who suited the church better than others, was canonized and began to personify Love.
However, it is unlikely that this information can change anything in the state of affairs. Be that as it may, we believe in beautiful legends and therefore every year we give our other half special attention, love and, of course, valentines. By the way, the church (both Catholic and Orthodox), like Muslims, is still very cool about this holiday, seeing in it only a continuation of pagan traditions.
Galina Yampolskaya
Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14, has been celebrated in our country relatively recently, only a couple of decades, while in Europe it has long traditions and roots going back to the history of the ancient world.
The external manifestations of this holiday are known to everyone: within a couple of weeks, all the counters are full of hearts of all shapes and sizes, everyone gives each other so-called “Valentines” - cards also made in the shape of hearts. Traditionally, most of them are anonymous, and the recipient is asked to guess who the sender is on their own. However, it is believed that these cards appeared much later than the holiday itself, which dates back about 18 centuries, while The first Valentine was received by the wife of the Duke of Orleans in 1415. He was in prison and decided this way in an original way show your love for your legal wife. Who would have thought that fashion for them would go so far and last so long! Some people gain courage and confess their love on this day. Many, in addition to traditional souvenirs, give something more significant, but this differs from the classic canons of the holiday.
Today, probably only the lazy, or those who completely deny what is happening these days, do not know it. This story happened, as the legend says, because there is no documentary evidence for all the events described below, and it is unlikely that they existed, in 269 AD. Then Emperor Claudius II reigned, and Christianity was a very young religion. At that time, adherents of Christianity were still persecuted by fans of paganism, and Christian marriage, in modern understanding, almost did not exist. However, there was some Christian priest Valentin, who not only carried out the sacrament of Christian marriage - he married legionnaires for whom marriage ties were prohibited by the nature of their service in general. As legends say, the priest was not just a religious figure of that time, he was also involved in science and healing, and was also involved in resolving conflicts and quarrels between lovers. 
Some legends say that he was an ordinary ordinary priest, some believe that he held the rank of bishop, be that as it may, his activities did not go unnoticed by the authorities, and he went to prison, after which he was executed. Judging by some sources, love did not bypass him either, and already in prison he learned about this feeling that the jailer’s blind daughter had for the saint. She wrote him a letter where she confessed her ardent passion, but since the priest could not remove his vow of celibacy, all actions on his part were limited to a touching letter, which the girl received on the eve of his execution, on February 13. However, there is a more optimistic, but less realistic version, according to which Valentin and this girl had mutual feelings for each other. Moreover, on the night before the execution, using his knowledge in medicine, he cured his beloved of blindness, after which he went to the execution, which was carried out by cutting off her head with a sword. The priest who accepted death for his beliefs was canonized and made a saint, and since the 8th century in Western Europe, the 14th day of February was considered the holiday of all lovers. In America it began to be celebrated a little later, from 1777, and in Russia even more so: as already said, we became aware of it about 20 years ago.
The external attributes of the holiday remain almost unchanged throughout the entire time that it is celebrated: hearts, hearts and again hearts, in the form of candies, cards and souvenirs.
The meaning of the holiday has changed somewhat over time. So, in the Middle Ages in Britain, both in its English and Scottish parts, on this day they organized a kind of lottery, drawing out the name of their beloved for a year. Thus, the holiday was important not only for couples, but also for those who had not yet found happiness in love, and thus gave the latter hope for happiness. Today the official Catholic Church does not recognize Saint Valentine, and does not celebrate this day. The explanation is the lack of substantiated information on this issue, because all data regarding the circumstances of the case and the personality of the priest are in the nature of myths and fairy tales, and do not have documented sources. The only thing that is known is the method of execution of the priest. Guided by these data, or rather the lack thereof, the Catholic Church has excluded this holiday from the officially approved ones since 1969; it did not and does not support the traditions of its celebration. Today it is fashionable to get married on this day; it is believed that such a marriage will be strong and happy, and the love in it will be eternal.
This option is not at all romantic, and therefore not popular. The origins of this version also date back to antiquity, and is due to the fact that earlier in mid-February it was Lupercalia celebration- a festival of female fertility, widely celebrated in ancient Rome. As part of the celebration, women stripped naked and exposed their bodies to the blows of whips, which were also distributed by naked Romans running through the streets of the city. It was believed that receiving your share of blows would ensure high fertility and an easy course of childbirth, which was especially valued given the level of medicine of that time. 
Rome, as a state, strongly encouraged the manifestations of this holiday, since it was believed that as a result, even the most hopeless representatives of the human race acquired the ability to bear children. In those days, infant mortality, both during childbirth and in the first year of life, was at a terrifying level, which more than once brought Rome to the brink of extinction. Such a holiday dedicated to the goddess of “feverish” love” and Faun, the patron saint of herds, each year led to a surge in the birth rate, which was welcomed by the state. With the advent of Christianity on the world stage, more than one holiday has been transformed and taken on a more civilized appearance. This custom did not bypass Lupercalia, where pagan roots were disguised in a civilized Christian veil. However, not all historians support this version; many of them believe that these two holidays are connected only in that they relate to love and coincide chronologically, having completely different origins and manifestations.
Everyone knows how this day is celebrated today, but people did not come to this order right away, and in different countries it was celebrated in different ways.
In this country, as mentioned above, a kind of lottery was held on this day: on Valentine's Day, young people pulled out tickets with the names of their companions for the next year. Many couples created on this day later formalized their relationship; those who were unlucky got another chance the next year. This fun was the lot of the common people, and the aristocrats had fun on this day by trying to outdo each other with the pomp and wealth of gifts presented to their mistresses.
Giving wives gifts on Valentine's Day was considered the height of indecency. The first Valentine, however, was presented precisely in England, and specifically to the legal spouse, as mentioned above.
In general, this holiday in Britain was so popular that servants in rich houses could abandon their work in anticipation of mail with heartfelt messages, and not be subjected to severe punishment.
Until the 18th century, poverty and the accompanying Puritan morals reigned in this country, severely limiting the number of holidays and entertainment. For a long time, they did not even celebrate Easter and Christmas, without finding direct permission in the Holy Scriptures to idle on this day. Even Thanksgiving was just a Presbyterian church day and was celebrated in a very low-key manner. Needless to say, Valentine’s Day did not fit into the strict and spartan way of those centuries, however, when the tradition of celebrating it with roses and cards gradually penetrated from overseas, Americans liked it. By that time, the country had already achieved a fairly good level of prosperity, and commerce joined in the production of hearts and other holiday accessories. Their production and sale were put on stream, and soon its celebration began to be carried out on a large scale.
In this country, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated after the end of World War II, when Japan, until that time completely closed from the rest of the world, began to transfer American and European traditions into its everyday life. However, here the celebration has its own characteristics: firstly, most gifts and souvenirs were made from chocolate, and secondly, historically it has developed that for the most part it was the day of men, they were mainly presented with sweet gifts. Currently, this trend has continued.
Do you know what no one will tolerate? Savings, even on small things! What is the best birthday greeting for a teacher? about this in our article. What kind of breakfast can you make for Valentine's Day if you don't know how to cook? We have prepared some simple recipes for you at the following address.
Valentine's Day also entered this country after the end of the war, and its celebration was mainly carried out in European traditions, but had its own twist. So from the beginning of the celebration it became customary that this day was not just a holiday for lovers, but also for those who intended to enter into legal marriage. On February 14, these young people had to come to the bishop of the area where they lived and ask him for an official blessing for marriage procedures. It was believed that such a marriage would be stronger and happier. Currently, the custom has been preserved only for religious couples, of which, however, there are many in Germany. In conclusion, we offer you a short video in which we will also learn a little about the traditions of celebrating Valentine's Day in Ancient Rome and how this is done in our time in different countries of the world. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-GH-hvEtvY
