Valentine's day

"All you need is love"... The feeling of love for another person or for yourself is needed by each of us and accompanies us throughout the year, but February is considered the month of romance. Lovers celebrate their holiday on February 14 all over the world. And what is the history of the patron saint of Valentine's Day? His are not fully known. On the pages of history we can find three descriptions related to the story of Saint Valentine.

The first of the legends says that Valentine was a priest living in Rome in the 3rd century. During the reign of Emperor Claudius II, young men were banned from marrying. The purpose of the issued decree was to make bachelors better soldiers. Valentine decided to oppose the cruel law and continued to secretly marry lovers. Unfortunately, the emperor discovered the priest's secret and sentenced him to death.
Another story tells of Valentine helping Christians escape from Roman prisons. From one story, we learn that a prisoner named Walenty fell in love with the prison guard's daughter. He was sentenced to death but before his execution he wrote a letter to his beloved, adding the signature: "From your Valentine"

However, if we want to know the origin of the feast celebrated on February 14, we have to go back to the Roman tradition of the Lupercalia feast. The annual tradition took place in February, because this month was associated by the Romans with the time of love due to the mating season of birds. During the ceremony, rituals were performed to make women fertile. Then all the young women placed their name in a large urn. The bachelors of the city chose the woman's name and made a couple with her. Such games often ended in marriage. Lupercalia was outlawed in the late 5th century with the rise of Christianity. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 the day of St. Valentine's Day to commemorate the day of the martyr's death or burial.

Over time, the date February 14 again associated people with love. In every country on the globe, people celebrate this holiday in their own original way. Sometimes the tradition of lovers' day is celebrated in other months or even several times a year. Couples give each other gifts while spending time together at home or traveling. Partners search the internet in hopes of finding the perfect “her” or “him” gift, plan romantic trips and gourmet dinners, or follow local national traditions. Jewelry for women or watches for men will always be a classic and original gift.