Valentine’s Day is synonymous with romance, of course. But of the millions who celebrate the popular holiday for lovers each year, how many actually know the rich history behind it?
There are several competing theories on the origins of Valentine’s Day. Some say its beginnings can be found in the Middle Ages, when many believed that birds mated for life on Feb. 14. To commemorate the spirit of companionship, people would send love letters on that day.
Others say we owe our celebration to the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival that was held in mid-February. On this day, women wrote love notes that were placed in an urn and randomly drawn by men, who would then pursue the note-writers and claim them as companions for the next year.
Early Christians preferred to associate the holiday with the saint of romantic causes, Saint Valentine. But there is some controversy regarding Saint Valentine: The Catholic Church recognizes at least three saints named Valentine or Valentinus.
The most popular candidate is a third century priest. Legend says he performed secret marriages against the orders of Emperor Claudius II, who...
To view and download this full PLR article, you must be logged in. Registration is completely free. Once you create your account, you will be able to browse, search & downlod from our PLR articles database of over "1,57,897+" on 1,000's of niches and 200+ categories without paying a penny. Click here to signup...
