Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovebirds!

February, 14: today we celebrate a special day meant for lovers. It is always important to note that every special holiday hides a story behind it, whether it is true or a fiction; a legend or a tale, interesting or boring! Anyway, there is always a story to relate and maybe a symbol to which to refer when it comes down to celebrating a special day like Valentine’s Day.  

Valentine’s Day has a number of possible origins. One of the most common symbols to which we can refer the romantic holiday is the earliest popular symbol “Cupid”, best-known as the Roman god of love who features an image of a young cherub with bow and arrow. It has also been said that it has taken its roots in legend of two men both named Valentine. The first one was a Roman martyr who was beheaded on a 14th of February because of his refusal to worship the Roman gods, as he was a Christian priest. The other Valentine was an Italian bishop from Terni, who was also executed because he accepted to secretly marry a young couple, which was, at that time, against the laws of the Roman emperor. On the other hand, Valentine’s Day known as a romantic holiday has been thought to be popularized by Shakespeare, seen almost in his work, such as in “Hamlet” where the word Valentine’ s Day appeared. The custom with exchanging heart-felt gifts and cards has turned out to originate in the 18th century in England; it is in the 20th century that it has been spread. In fact, the card-sending tradition was first prompted by famous Middle Ages writers and poets. They created handmade paper cards for special days. Then, in the 19th century, the process of factory-made and mass-producing cards and other valentines’ gifts began. According to the National Retail Federation, Valentine’s Day brings up to 18 billion dollars per year in sales in 2017 thanks to these traditional gifts. It has been shown that 85 percent of American women buy Valentine’s Day cards, and that men buy over 70 percent of the flowers. Celebrating Valentine’s Day has come to be a kind of symbol for some; expressing the magic word “I LOVE YOU” and offering a gift for the loved one has turned to be a must and a very important thing to do when this special day comes. People are too eager to celebrate it but maybe do not appreciate the story.

So today, the famous day of love is celebrated by many people across the world, making this 14th day of February so special, not only for lovers, but also for families. Indeed, Valentines’ Day means much more than just a simple romantic holiday or a custom; it is more of a symbol, it is the celebration of love itself. Happy Valentine’s Day all!

Sources: American English / Psychology Today