St. Day Valentina and its Russian counterpart

Valentine's Day - the holiday of lovers, has been celebrated on February 14 in Europe since the 13th century, in Yakutia - since the beginning of the 90s of the last century.

The holiday has a specific "culprit" - the Christian priest Valentine.

This story dates from around 269. At that time, Claudius II ruled the Roman Empire. The warring Roman army experienced an acute shortage of soldiers for campaigns, and the commander was convinced that the main enemy of his plans was marriage, because a married legionnaire thinks much less about the glory of the empire than about how to feed his family. And, in order to preserve the military spirit in his soldiers, the emperor issued a decree forbidding the legionnaires to marry.

But this did not make the soldiers fall in love any less.

And to their happiness, a man was found who, not fearing the imperial wrath, began to secretly marry legionnaires. It was a priest named Valentine from the Roman city of Terni (Valentine of Terni). Apparently, he was a real romantic, since his favorite pastimes were reconciling those who quarreled, helping to write love letters and giving flowers to the objects of their passion at the request of the legionnaires.

Upon learning of this, the emperor sentenced Valentine to death. The tragedy of the situation was also in the fact that Valentine himself was in love with the jailer's daughter.

The day before the execution, the priest wrote a farewell letter to the girl, where he spoke about his love, and signed it “Your Valentine”. It was read after he was executed. The date of execution coincided with the Roman celebration in honor of Juno, the goddess of love. Since then, every year on February 14, people remembered Valentine and arranged a holiday for all lovers.

Subsequently, as a Christian martyr who suffered for his faith, Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church. And in 496, Pope Gelasius (Pope Gelasius I) declared February 14 Valentine's Day.

Since 1969, as a result of the reform of worship, Saint Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church (along with other Roman saints, information about whose life is contradictory and unreliable). However, even before 1969, the church did not approve and did not support the traditions of celebrating this day.

Whether it was so or otherwise, but, apparently, it was then that the tradition of writing love notes on Valentine's Day - “valentines” appeared. And on this holiday it is customary to arrange weddings and get married. It is believed that this will be the key to eternal love.

Ideas for celebrating Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is coming soon, which is celebrated by all lovers on February 14th. In Yakutia, many couples willingly adopted this wonderful tradition.

A winter romantic holiday is another opportunity for spouses to confess their love. The main thing is to make this day not only joyful, but also original. Some interesting ideas will help with this.

Outdoor activities

Valentine's Day falls in the winter month, so spouses can spend time enjoying winter sports. For example, a trip to nature or a sports base. Lovers will have a great opportunity to enjoy each other's company, and at the same time go skiing or take a walk in nature.

be alone

Husband and wife can diversify their sex life. New impressions will bring fresh emotions to the marital relationship.

Go to the cinema

Visit local attractions

Spouses should pay attention to those interesting places in the city where they have not been, or have been for a very long time. Many local architectural monuments and beautiful corners evoke pleasant romantic memories for spouses.

Expensive entertainment

If the financial situation allows, then on February 14 you can organize a trip for a few days to the romantic cities of Europe - Paris, Prague or Vienna.

Every year, Valentine's Day is gaining more and more popularity in our country and is already becoming an absolutely familiar date in the series of the most beloved holidays. Moreover, precisely February 14, on Valentine's Day, not only people who love each other, but even close relatives and friends confess their love. According to tradition, on this day it is customary to give each other valentines. These can be ordinary postcards, with the image of little cupids, flowers, hearts and other cute attributes.

The Legend of Valentine's Day

According to the main legend of the holiday of Valentine's Day- Valentine appeared back in 269 AD, when the Roman emperor Claudius II was preparing to once again conquer and conquer the whole world. But there was one big flaw in his ambitious idea - the tyrant's army was too small. Claudius decided to fight this problem in the bud and considered that the reason for the failures of his army was the family life of soldiers, and that is why he issued a law prohibiting soldiers from marrying throughout their service. Family, wife and other burdens are too distracting from important state affairs, Claudius believed, and therefore the first thing is the planes, and the girls - then. Moreover, Claudius II himself, according to his contemporaries, loved girls, and often and a lot. Here is such a hypocrite.


However, all the soldiers resigned themselves to the new law and began to diligently engage in service, but there was one rebel among them who did not agree with the vile law. As you might guess, the name of this troublemaker was Valentine. The young priest already then believed that it was better to make love, and not war, and contrary to the decree of the emperor, he massively married lovers. As soon as Claudius found out about such a daring act, he immediately ordered the execution of the culprit.

Continuation of the history of the origin of Valentine's Day

Expecting his fate, Valentine did not waste time in vain and on the eve of the execution, he fell in love with the daughter of the jailer. I must say that the girl was very beautiful, but blind from birth. A practicing alchemist managed to cure the beauty of the disease and years later she was able to see the world, and at the same time the good Valentine, who managed to cope with the disease. On the eve of the execution, he decided to send a message to his beloved, where he confessed his feelings and signed simply - “Your Valentine”. This message became the very first Valentine in the world.


The execution of the priest took place on February 14, 269. For disobeying the decree of the emperor, Valentine was beheaded. Many years later, the Catholic Church elevated him to the rank of saints and in 469, on the eve of the bicentenary of the execution of Valentine, Pope Gilasius decided that from now on, every year on the day of the execution of the priest, all the lovers of the world receive their own holiday - St. Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day Traditions

The tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day its roots go back to the 12th century and have been celebrated in Western Europe for 800 years. With the first settlers, the holiday migrated to North America, where the saint has been venerated since the end of the 18th century. In our country, the popularity of St. Valentine came with independence and the collapse of the USSR.


On the eve of the holiday of Valentine's Day, thousands of lovers are racking their brains - how to surprise your soul mate and what kind of surprise to prepare. Of course, it's nice to get a colorful Valentine's card with a touching confession written on it, or to give a decorative heart with cupids, but, as they say, you also want something more substantial.
For example, practical Americans came up with Give sweet gifts to your soul mates on Valentine's Day. At the beginning of the 19th century, on Valentine's Day, men always gave their ladies a variety of marzipan sweets, as well as caramels made in the shape of this very heart.


Colors for sweets were also chosen special - red and white, symbolizing red, bright passion and white purity of feelings. On sweets, the names of a loved one and confessions were applied. Progress did not stand still and instead of one "heart" candy, it became customary to give whole sweet sets, usually sweets were placed in a special heart-shaped box.

Valentine's Day in different countries:

How is Valentine's Day celebrated in England?

If we turn to the traditions of celebrating Valentine's Day in different countries of the world, it is interesting that in England men Choose your own Valentine. On pieces of paper, they wrote the names of the girls, then mixed them in a hat, and then drew them at random. Something from the category of a sports draw, only instead of a future rival for the competition, men pulled out a partner - and a girl, for example, with the name Rebecca, suddenly became Valentina for this particular man.

Valentine's Day in Italy

Italians, like Americans, have turned Valentine's Day into a sweet holiday and give each other cakes, pastries and sweets.

February 14 in France

The French prefer something more spectacular and give various jewels. By the way, it was the French who came up with the idea to give each other beautiful messages in the form of poems. Apparently, the point here is not so much in the coherence of the quatrains, but in the very language in which it is performed. As you know, the French language is recognized throughout the world as the language of love.

Finnish Valentine's Day

Hot Finnish guys decided to turn Valentine's Day into International Women's Day, or rather, into its small branch. On this day, only women in Finland receive gifts.

Japan February 14th

And in Japan, as always, everything was turned upside down on this day it is customary to congratulate men, and the most popular gift for Valentine's Day is some men's accessory.

Valentine's Day in Poland

Our neighbors, the Poles, were the luckiest of all that day. It is in their country, or rather, on the territory of the Poznan metropolis, that the holy relics of Valentine are located. There is also a miraculous image of the saint, to which thousands of pilgrims annually turn for help and blessings. And as a rule Saint Valentine refuses no one, continuing to work miracles hundreds of years later, after his departure to another world.

February 14 is that amazing day when you can and should boldly confess your love. Moreover, you can report overwhelming feelings to the culprit of the fire in your heart without a single word! It is enough to give him (or her) a small paper heart. Valentine's Day is a favorite holiday for people of all ages. He is adored by those who have already met their soul mate, and people who have not yet smiled at heart happiness are waiting to ask for love. Where did he come from, and what brought him to modern Russia?

Eternal love story

Historical facts show that the prototype of Valentine's Day existed in ancient Rome. To increase the birth rate, the ancient Romans came up with an unusual erotic festival - Lupercalia. On February 14, the goddess Juno, the patroness of women, motherhood and marriage, was honored here. All unmarried girls wrote their names on parchment and put them in a common basket. Single guys, relying on a lucky chance, chose their girlfriend for the next year blindly.

The next day, February 15, the most beautiful young men ran around the city naked and whipped women they met with belts. Roman beauties did not resist the ritual, but willingly offered their bodies to the guys, having previously thrown off their clothes. Similar holidays were adopted by other pagan peoples.

In the Middle Ages, the custom of choosing a girlfriend for a year appeared in England. Young people, like the ancient Romans, pulled out notes with the names of the ladies from the urn. Relationships arose between matched couples, they became Valentine and Valentina for each other.

History of St. Valentine

The holiday of love found its heavenly patron in 496. Only then did the Pope proclaim February 14 as Saint Valentine's Day. Who was the mysterious Valentine? There are several legends that tell about the fate of the main saint of all lovers.

According to one of them, Valentine was a prisoner who went to prison for healing the sick with the help of an unknown force. People did not forget their savior and carried notes to him. One day, the note fell into the hands of a guard who, believing in the young man's abilities, asked him to heal his blind daughter. The doctor, who, by the way, was good-looking, agreed and cured the girl of her illness. Seeing the white light and a handsome guy, the young lady immediately fell in love with her savior.

This story has a sad ending - on February 14, the young man in love was executed. Knowing that he did not have long to live, he wrote notes with confessions to his beloved and all close people. This is where the tradition of giving each other valentines was born.

According to another beautiful, but also sad legend, Valentine was a Roman priest who served in the third century AD. It is well known that in those days there was a ban on the marriage of soldiers - Julius Claudius II forbade the marriage of soldiers, who believed that wives prevent men from calmly fighting and defending their homeland.

The priest Valentine, despite strict prohibitions, continued to marry soldiers in love, for which he was sentenced to death. While in prison, the young priest fell madly in love with the warden's lovely daughter. The girl also reciprocated, but she found out that the guy was not indifferent to her only after his death. On the night of February 14, Valentine in love wrote a beautiful confession of heartfelt feelings to the lady of his heart, and in the morning the death sentence would be carried out.

How did valentines come to be?

In ancient times, lovers confessed their hot feelings with words, songs and dances. And only in the 15th century, young men and women gave each other love notes. One of these valentines is still in the British Museum - this is a beautiful love confession of the Duke of Orleans to his adored wife, written in prison.

The peak of popularity falls on the 18th century, when valentines were given to each other instead of flowers and gifts. Home-made colored postcards were especially popular in England. They were signed with verses, pierced with needles to make lace, and colored with stencils and ink. Even next to modern postcards issued in a printing house, old hearts look chic.

Valentine's Day in different countries

In many countries, Valentine's Day has long gone beyond ancient customs and has lost its Catholic connotation. Everyone who has love in his heart considers it his holiday. In France, it is customary to give precious jewelry on Valentine's Day, and Americans traditionally present marzipan to their beloved. The Japanese sweeten the lives of their halves with chocolate figurines, and women present valuable gifts to the knights of their hearts.

British girls look out the window early in the morning in anticipation of their betrothed - it is believed that the first passerby is the one who is destined to become fate. But this is not the most amazing custom of the country. On February 14, the British send tender love messages not only to all relatives and friends, but also to their adored pets.

Interestingly, in Saudi Arabia, February 14 is under a strict ban. Anyone who dares to remember him is fined.

In Russia, they learned about Valentine's Day in the early nineties. He quickly fell in love with young people and immediately became a favorite secular holiday. Now it is celebrated by people of all generations - this is a wonderful occasion to give a gift and confess your love to a dear person.

14.02.2015

February 14 is Valentine's Day, which has long turned from a religious holiday into a secular one, spreading throughout the world. Is there a better reason than to spend a special day with your loved one? On Valentine's Day, lovers send each other cards with tender messages, give sweets, meet for a romantic lunch or dinner, go out into nature or go to visit, dressed up for the occasion. Why February 14th is Valentine's Day?

The tradition of the holiday dates back to the era of the Roman Empire. In the year 270, there was a priest in Rome named Valentine. It was during the reign of Claudius II, who forbade young people to marry, as he believed that a soldier unencumbered by family ties would be better at fighting in case of war. In addition, the emperor persecuted Christians who did not recognize his divine authority. Valentine considered the emperor's decrees illegal and unfair, so he began to secretly marry young couples according to the Christian ritual, which earned him great prestige among the population.

Claudius soon found out about this and ordered Valentine to be brought to the palace. The emperor tried to persuade the priest to abandon the teachings of Christ, to serve the Empire and its gods, and if he agreed, he promised a pardon and a high position. In turn, Valentine tried to convert the Roman ruler to Christianity, who at first favorably listened to the preacher's speeches, but then, having changed his mind, ordered Valentine to be imprisoned in order to be executed soon.

A jailer named Asterio introduced his daughter Julia, blind from birth, to the prisoner, so that Valentine would give her lessons in history and arithmetic. The girl learned to see the world through the eyes of her teacher. Valentine prayed to God to send Julia sight and was heard, his ward received his sight. The grateful household of the jailer in full force converted to Christianity, but they could not save Valentine. The emperor was in a hurry and appointed the day of execution on February 14th. On the eve of his death, Valentine wrote a letter to Julia, which ended with the words "From your Valentine."

Valentine's Day began to be officially celebrated on February 14, 494 by decree of Pope Gelasio I, who sought to destroy the memory of the pagan festivals of Lupercalia, which were still popular among the people. The remains of St. Valentine were transferred to the chapel, which is located in the Italian city of Terni and now bears his name. Every year on February 14th, couples who wish to get married in the current year flock here to receive the blessing of St. Valentine.

According to legend, almonds grew on Valentine's grave, which annually on the day of the priest's death is covered with foam of fragrant pink flowers. Since then, almonds, flowers and fruits, have been a symbol of love and strong relationships. During the 17th and 18th centuries, folk customs associated with St. Valentine's Day developed in England and France, when young people exchanged gifts and love letters. In the 40s of the 19th century, the enterprising American Esther Howland began mass production and sale of postcards, called "valentines" with drawings of hearts, flowers and angels.

Valentine's Day: the history of the holiday, who is Valentine, in what year did Valentine's Day appear, traditional gifts.

Valentine's Day: the history of the holiday

It is believed that Valentine's Day has existed for more than 16 centuries, but the holidays of Love are known from even earlier times - from the time of ancient pagan cultures.

For example, the ancient Romans in mid-February celebrated a festival of eroticism called Lupercalia, in honor of the goddess of love, Juno Februata.

In ancient times, Rus' had its own holiday - Valentine's Day, which was celebrated at the beginning of summer - it is associated with the legendary love story of Peter and Fevronia and is dedicated to Kupala - the pagan Slavic god, the son of Perun.

Valentine's Day: Who is Valentine?

Unfortunately, the data on Saint Valentine, documented, have not survived to our times. It could be both a martyr from Rome - a Christian priest, and a generous philanthropist who donated huge sums for the construction of temples.

The most beautiful legend about St. Valentine, which is passed from mouth to mouth, says: during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the Roman Empire - approximately 269 - the emperor's army lacked soldiers for military campaigns. To increase the size of the army, the emperor issued a decree that called up soldiers for military service. Even marriage did not save from service - according to this decree of the emperor, it was forbidden for legionnaires to marry.

Tradition says that at that time in Rome there lived a young priest and a skilled healer Valentine, who added wine, milk and honey to his potions for the sick. The jailer, who had a blind daughter, learned about his medical art. Although her blindness seemed incurable to Valentine, he prayed for her healing and prepared medicines, and the longer he worked, the more he fell in love with the blind girl. Unable to help her, he tried to be useful to those lovers who were separated by the cruel decree of the emperor, secretly marrying them in the temple.

For this, Valentine was imprisoned and sentenced to death. The night before his execution, he wrote a note to his beloved: “I'm sorry. Your Valentine,” and wrapped a saffron flower in it. A miracle happened: the blind girl was able to read the words and see the flower.

Apparently, that's why it was customary to write love notes on Valentine's Day - "valentines" - notes to dear people in the form of hearts.

Valentine's Day: what year did the holiday appear?

The roots of the holiday - Valentine's Day - are pagan. In some regions, February 14th is known as Bird Wedding Day, as birds pair up to make nests at this time.

In 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th to be Valentine's Day.

In the 17th century in France, the historian Tillemont, and later in the 18th century in England, Butler and Douce, suggested that Valentine's Day was introduced to replace the pagan rite of choosing at random the names of lovers on the eve of the feast of the goddess Juno, celebrated on February 15th.

In Western Europe, Valentine's Day has been widely celebrated since the 13th century, in the USA - since 1777.

Valentine's Day: what to give your loved ones?

Traditionally, on Valentine's Day, lovers give each other "valentines" - notes about their feelings, made on paper in the shape of a heart.

Traditional gifts for Valentine's Day are sweets - marzipan, sweets and chocolate. Fresh flowers, packed in a heart-shaped bouquet, will also be a wonderful gift for your loved one.

It is very symbolic on Valentine's Day, on Valentine's Day - to make a marriage proposal to your beloved girl on this day - your beloved will never forget such a gift!