The origins of Valentine's Day

Do you really know the origins of Valentine's Day, the celebration of all lovers? Did you know that Valentine's Day was originally dedicated to singles?

The origins of Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a very old and well-known celebration. It has evolved over the centuries to become, today in France, the celebration of lovers.

Most Valentine's Day traditions have been lost over the years... Brands and stores have done everything they can to make Valentine's Day a commercial holiday and that's a shame!

Just a few years ago, Valentine's Day was the occasion to send each other beautiful postcards and to buy a pretty bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolate.

It should be noted that in some countries such as the United States or England, Valentine's Day was also a celebration of friendship.

A saint named Valentine

The life of this saint is mysterious. Valentin is said to have been a Christian priest, who died around 270, and was sentenced to death by Emperor Claudius II for performing Christian marriages in hiding.

The emperor had indeed banned these marriages. He had noticed that Christians, once married, refused to join military legions in order not to leave their families. Valentine's Day would therefore have died as a defender of love and marriage.

Some people also claim that Valentine's Day was originally a libertine pagan tradition dedicated to physical love.
 

The lovers' celebration

Since 1496, Valentine's Day has officially been the Patron Saint of Lovers, on the orders of Pope Alexander VI. At that time, the protection of this Patron Saint applied especially to singles who were looking for a soul mate.

It was mainly young singles who celebrated Valentine's Day with the objective of finding a partner! In some villages, hide-and-seek games were organized to form new couples.

Nature gets involved

For birds, February 14th is also the ideal day to coo. Who would have believed it? Have you noticed the birds singing so beautifully in the past few days in the morning when you wake up?