New Delhi | Jagran Lifestyle Desk: With all hearts of red fluttering here and there, it marks the start of Valentine Week in the month of February. On 14 February, the main day of all week, Valentines Day 2022 or Saint Valentine’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine is celebrated annually. The whole world on the occasion of Valentine is painted red in colour of love.
People on this day express their love for their partners, crushes, and spouses by giving gifts or roses or cards. Before 14 February, a whole week different days such as teddy day, rose day and others are also celebrated to keep the spirit of love festival going.
But, Do you know that origin of this love-filled festival is not so lovely? As we celebrate the Valentine’s Day, know about its history, significance, and why we people celebrate this festival:
Why Valentines Day 2022 is celebrated?
The special day of love is celebrated in honour of one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
Valentines Day: History and Significance:
A priest named Valentine was martyred in 270 CE by emperor Claudius II Gothicus after he found out that Valentine was secretly helping Christian couples get married. Claudius did not believe in marriages and he thought that single men were better off and dedicated soldiers.
While the true origin of the holiday remains vague, the day originated as a Christian feast day honoring the early Christian martyr named Saint Valentine. The Feast of Saint Valentine was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome.
The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the “lovebirds” of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards. In Ancient Greece, people observed a mid-winter celebration for the marriage of the god Zeus and the goddess Hera.
