February 09, 2020
Where does Valentine's Day come from?
This Friday it's February 14th, and that means Valentine's Day! The day of love, which is increasingly celebrated not only in the Netherlands, but also internationally. But where does Valentine's Day actually come from?
There are many different stories about the origin of Valentine's Day, which are also very different from each other. One of the most commonly cited stories is that Valentine's Day comes from a priest named Valentine from Rome. Valentine, who lived in the third century AD, would take care of needy people and teach them wise lessons. When the Roman emperor Claudius II forbade his soldiers to marry, Valentine was wrong about this. He performed marriages in secret so that the men would not have to serve in the army. This did not go down well with the Emperor, and he imprisoned Valentine. On February 14, he had him executed. It seems that shortly before his death he wrote a love letter to the daughter of one of the prison guards. At the bottom of this letter he put “Valentine”, from which the day of love originated.
The other variant on this story is that Valentine, in his caring role, also healed the daughter of the governor of Rome from her blindness. The daughter was so happy that she converted to Christianity. Her father, the governor, then decided to release all the Christian prisoners. The Emperor Claudius II then decided to have Valentine beheaded on February 14!
Another story told is that Valentine's Day comes from the celebration of the fertility of the Roman goddess Juno. These festivities were called Lupercalia, and Juno was the queen of all gods and goddesses, and the patron saint of women and marriage. Part of the party took place on February 15, where Roman boys and girls were brought together using a sort of lottery: unmarried men drew one by one a note from a large bowl on which all the names of the unmarried women were written. The new couples were assigned to each other for how long the party lasted. Stories go that this is where Valentine's Day originated.
The real truth? We do not know. In any case, the fact is that today Valentine's Day is used by many people as a day to celebrate love. It is now a tradition to send a (secret) card to your loved one on Valentine's Day. Did you know that the oldest found Valentine's card dates from about 1400, and can be admired in a British museum?
Are you looking for a personal gift? Based on the meanings of our jewelry, you can easily choose a gift that really suits the person! You can find our collections here!
There are many different stories about the origin of Valentine's Day, which are also very different from each other. One of the most commonly cited stories is that Valentine's Day comes from a priest named Valentine from Rome. Valentine, who lived in the third century AD, would take care of needy people and teach them wise lessons. When the Roman emperor Claudius II forbade his soldiers to marry, Valentine was wrong about this. He performed marriages in secret so that the men would not have to serve in the army. This did not go down well with the Emperor, and he imprisoned Valentine. On February 14, he had him executed. It seems that shortly before his death he wrote a love letter to the daughter of one of the prison guards. At the bottom of this letter he put “Valentine”, from which the day of love originated.
The other variant on this story is that Valentine, in his caring role, also healed the daughter of the governor of Rome from her blindness. The daughter was so happy that she converted to Christianity. Her father, the governor, then decided to release all the Christian prisoners. The Emperor Claudius II then decided to have Valentine beheaded on February 14!
Another story told is that Valentine's Day comes from the celebration of the fertility of the Roman goddess Juno. These festivities were called Lupercalia, and Juno was the queen of all gods and goddesses, and the patron saint of women and marriage. Part of the party took place on February 15, where Roman boys and girls were brought together using a sort of lottery: unmarried men drew one by one a note from a large bowl on which all the names of the unmarried women were written. The new couples were assigned to each other for how long the party lasted. Stories go that this is where Valentine's Day originated.
The real truth? We do not know. In any case, the fact is that today Valentine's Day is used by many people as a day to celebrate love. It is now a tradition to send a (secret) card to your loved one on Valentine's Day. Did you know that the oldest found Valentine's card dates from about 1400, and can be admired in a British museum?
Are you looking for a personal gift? Based on the meanings of our jewelry, you can easily choose a gift that really suits the person! You can find our collections here!
14 comments
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February 28, 2020
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February 28, 2020
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February 28, 2020
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February 28, 2020
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February 22, 2020
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February 22, 2020
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February 22, 2020
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February 22, 2020
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February 20, 2020
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February 20, 2020
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February 12, 2020
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February 12, 2020
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February 11, 2020
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February 11, 2020