Valentine’s Day | Definition, History, & Traditions (2024)

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Valentine’s Day | Definition, History, & Traditions? ›

It originated as a Christian feast day

Valentine is likely based on a combination of two Valentines who were executed on February 14 in different years by Roman Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century A.C.E., according to NPR. The Catholic Church maybe have established St. Valentine's Day to honor these two martyrs.

Valentine defied the emperor's orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love. Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used.

Another story claims that St. Valentine sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after falling in love with a young woman, possibly his jailer's daughter, while imprisoned. By the Middle Ages, Valentine's Day had evolved into a day associated with courtly love and romantic expression in Europe.

One Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defied Emperor Claudius II after the ruler outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine would perform marriages in secret for young lovers, ultimately leading to his death.

1 John 4:7-12. Dear friends: let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

St Valentine's Day is an annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration. Every year on 14 February people celebrate this day by sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends.

It is about sacrifice and devotion, love and honor, in the face of overwhelming and dangerous odds. While making your Valentine's Day plans, remember St. Valentine who was willing to give his life in pursuit of love and marriage, and ask yourself if you would be willing to do the same for those you profess to love.

Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: tradition maintains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor; an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your ...

However, Valentine's Day is not just about romance. It is also a day to remember the spiritual side of love. The word “valentine” comes from the Latin word “valens", which means “worthy, strong, or powerful". In the Bible, the word “valentine” is used about God's love for us.

Should Christians celebrate Valentine's day? ›

If that works for you, do it. But the biblical pattern teaches us that romantic love between husband and wife should be on display often and much. It isn't that celebrating Valentine's Day is too much; it is too little and weak. Christians, live your married years so that you don't need Valentine's Day.

Some believe Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 because that is when Saint Valentine was killed or buried. Others claim the date has to do with the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, which was a days-long celebration that would start on February 13 and end on February 15.

However, many historians believe the day originated from the Roman pagan festival of fertility called Lupercalia, an event filled with animal sacrifice, random coupling and the whipping of women; not quite the romantic chocolate and roses day that we celebrate today.

According to NPR, Emperor Claudius II of Rome executed two different men named Valentine on February 14 (in two different years) during the third century. One account of St. Valentine says that he was a priest who was arrested for defying a Roman decree that forbade soldiers from marrying.

Based on a true story "Operation Valentine" is a decent aerial action drama based on the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack and the Indian Air Force's retaliatory Balakot Air Strikes. What is refreshing compared to Yodha is that Operation Valentine does not show Pakistani Air Force to be dumbos.

Valentine's Day Massacre marked the end of any significant gang opposition to Capone's rule in Chicago, it can also be said to have marked the beginning of his downfall.

Valentine's Day (or Saint Valentine's Day) is a holiday that, in the United States, takes place on February 14, and technically signifies the accomplishments of St. Valentine, a third-century Roman saint.