What is the origin of Valentine's Day?
Whether we like it or not, Valentine's Day is one of the most important holidays on the calendar and its origins always arouse curiosity. No less than seven Saints named Valentine share the honor of being celebrated on February 14 and of being the patron of lovers, but for the majority of historians, the true identity of Saint Valentine finds its origin in ancient Rome.
Father Valentin
It was on February 14, 269 that the Roman Emperor Claudius II had Father Valentinus arrested and executed who united young couples in clandestinity despite a law prohibiting soldiers of the empire from marrying. This law aimed to dissuade men from remaining with their families and thus filling the ranks of the military legions. Valentinus died a defender of marriage and love, but the celebration of Valentine's Day was not born.
From pagan festival to Christian festival
Two centuries later, when Valentinus became a canonized martyr, Pope Gelasius I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Instead of completely abolishing a very popular pagan holiday celebrated on February 15, he Christianized it by associating it a day earlier with Saint Valentine, the great protector of couples and love . The ancient Roman Lupercalia festival no longer fit with the beliefs of the Christian church since it venerated Lupercus, the patron god of flocks and shepherds. The pope was certainly eager to put an end to the holiday's signature event in which half-naked men chased women and beat them with strips of animal skin to ensure fertility and a happy pregnancy. Finally, it was not until 1496, more than a thousand years later, that Pope Alexander VI ordered that Saint Valentine officially become the Patron Saint of Lovers.
Gelase 1st
The first Valentine's Day cards
Charles, Duke of Orléans and Marie of Cleves
The tradition of writing a text to our lover for Valentine's Day originated in England in the 15th century, when Charles, Duke of Orléans, was a prisoner of the English since the famous Battle of Agincourt (1415). ). On Valentine's Day, from the Tower of London where he was imprisoned, he is said to have sent love letters to Mary of Cleves with whom he was madly in love. Luck smiled on him since he married her on his return. These writings would therefore be the first known Valentine's Day cards.
Bird mating season
Since the Middle Ages, in France and England, popular belief said that the mating season for birds began on February 14. The story goes that young men took the opportunity to declare their love and that young girls looked at birds to find out the identity of their future husband. If they saw a robin, they would marry a sailor. If it was a sparrow, she was predicted a happy marriage with a less fortunate person, while if it was a goldfinch, a rich man would ask for her hand.
Far-fetched? Maybe. Poetic? Certainly.
My gallantine
Of Norman origin, the word “galantine” designated the lover in the Middle Ages. Moreover, the term “gallant” still exists in our vocabulary today. It's hard not to recognize a strange resemblance to the name of the Saint. Could it be possible that this lexicological proximity earned Valentin the role of Patron Saint of Lovers?
That being said, we see that it is not new that we want to celebrate love. Whether it's new or has been around for several years, Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to proclaim our love to our loved one. There are certainly flowers and chocolate, but high jewelry remains the gift idea par excellence. What if you thought of asking for her hand for Valentine's Day? Take the opportunity to purchase a local product, handcrafted to the highest standards of jewelry making. Flamme en rose jewelry always accompanies you during the significant moments of your life.
