Valentine's Day
Information from Songs 4 Teachers
The Story of Valentine's Day
The holiday of Valentine's Day probably derives its origins from the ancient Roman feast of
Lupercalia. In the early days
of Rome, fierce wolves roamed the woods nearby.
The Romans called upon one of their gods, Lupercus, to keep the wolves away.
A
festival held in honor of Lupercus was celebrated on February 15th. The festival
was celebrated as a spring festival.
Their calendar was different at that time,
with February falling in early springtime.
One of the customs of
the young people was name-drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the
names of Roman
girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each
young man drew a slip. The girl whose name was chosen was to be his sweetheart
for the year
Legend has it that the
holiday became Valentine's Day after a priest named Valentine. Valentine was a
priest in Rome at the time Christianity was a new religion. The Emperor at that
time, Claudius II, ordered the Roman soldiers NOT to marry or become engaged.
Claudius believed that as married men, his soldiers would want to stay home with
their families rather than fight his wars.
Valentine defied the Emperor's decree
and secretly married the young couples who wanted to marry. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned,
and put to death
Valentine was beheaded
on February 14th, the eve of the Roman holiday Lupercalia. After his death,
Valentine was named a saint. Gradually, as Rome became more Christian, the priests moved
the spring holiday from the 15th of February to the 14th.
Valentine's
Day. Now
the holiday honored Saint Valentine instead of Lupercus.
The Origin of the Valentine's Day Card
While Valentine was
in prison awaiting his fate, He came in contact with his jailer, Asterius who
had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his
faith, he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell
message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase
that lived ever after.
Valentine had become
a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival
involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court,
handwritten greetings of affection on February 14th.
The greeting cards acquired
St.Valentine's name.
The Valentine's Day
Card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of
the earliest cards was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife
while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London.
The card is now preserved in the
British Museum.
The
Meanings of Different Roses
This widely depends on culture.
These are the formal
meanings in English speaking cultures.
Each of these meanings is still used in
society today.
- White roses are for true love.
- Red roses are for passion.
- Yellow roses are for friendship.
- Black roses mean farewell.
Modern meanings:
- Red roses mean love.
- Yellow roses mean friendship.
- Pink roses mean friendship or sweetheart.
- White roses mean purity of the mind.
- Black roses mean hatred and death.
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100 Days of School and More...
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songs and poems
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