Valentine’s Day is a special day that is celebrated in many Christian countries around the world.
It is celebrated on February 14 and is mostly referred to as Lovers’ Day.
However, most people do not know the meaning of Valentine’s Day or what it honors.
People just exchange flowers, chocolates, candies, and other gifts in the name of St. Valentine.
So who is this mysterious saint, and where did the customs come from?
What is the Religious Holiday St Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day or St. Valentine’s Day is a Christian holiday that is observed on February 14th.
Lovers across the world express their affection with flowers, gifts, and greetings.
According to Wikipedia, we observe the holiday to honor one or two martyrs known as Saint Valentine.
There are many martyrdom stories associated with Valentine, including the imprisonment of Saint Valentine for ministering to Christians.
According to one theory, St. Valentine restored sight to the jailer’s daughter who was blind.
Also, it is believed that he wrote the jailer’s daughter a letter and signed it “Your Valentine” before his execution.
There is also another theory that St. Valentine performed Christian weddings for soldiers who could not marry.
It is a Christian holiday with a lot of theories, but they associate it with love or lovers.
What is the history of St. Valentine’s Day?
According to various sources, St. Valentine originates from the Roman Festival of Lupercalia that is held in mid-February.
But they named the day after a priest named Valentine, who was executed about 270 CE.
Various theories explain the origin of Valentine’s Day.
One Theory
The priest signed a letter (From Your Valentine) to the jailer’s daughter who he had befriended.
Some accounts show he healed her from blindness.
This was an account of love because he was in prison.
Second Theory
But another theory states that Valentine married couples secretly to spare their husbands from war.
During that time, the Emperor had decided that single men were better soldiers.
So, he outlawed marriage for young men.
Valentine defied the Emperor’s orders and performed the weddings for the young soldiers in secret.
His actions were discovered and was executed.
For those reasons, we associate the day with love.
When did Valentine’s Day Begin?
Valentine’s Day became formal in the 1500s and by the 1700s; people started using printed love cards.
But the first commercial Valentine in the US was in the Mid-1800s.
Later, birds, flowers, gifts, and candies became symbols of St. Valentine’s Day.
However, most people used Red Roses as a symbol of love and beauty.
St. Valentine’s Day is very popular in the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada, and many other countries.
African countries and South American countries such as Argentina and Mexico celebrate the day as well.
In the Philippines, mass weddings are very common on Valentine’s Day.
Also, many people hold wedding anniversaries on that day.
Today, St. Valentine’s Day has expanded affections and expressions among many relatives and friends.
Also, school-going children exchange gifts during Valentine’s Day.
When is St. Valentine’s Day Celebrated?
Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th every year.
However, unlike other Christian holidays, the day is not celebrated in Church.
But Christians such as Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, Lutherans, and others recognize and celebrate the day.
Yet the day is not a public holiday in almost all countries.
How is St. Valentine’s Day Celebrated?
Though it is not a public holiday, St. Valentine’s is one of the most celebrated Christian events.
The main tradition of Valentine’s Day is sending flowers, gifts, candies, and cards to loved ones.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many Christian countries around the world.
In many Eastern Asian countries such as China, South Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore, people spend a lot of money on Valentine’s gifts.
Latin America–In Latin America countries such as Costa Rica, Valentine’s Day is very common.
Here, you will see people perform various acts of appreciation for their loved ones and friends.
Brazil–Valentine’s Day in Brazil is known as Lover’s Day or Boyfriend/Girlfriend Day.
However, it is celebrated on June 12th because it is the day before Saint Anthony’s Day.
Couples exchange chocolates, flowers, gifts, and cards
Valentine’s Day is not celebrated on February 14th in Brazil because it falls near the Brazilian Carnival that happens in February and March.
United States–Millions of Valentine’s Day cards are sent every year in the United States of America.
Also, hundreds of millions of Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged by school children each year in the US.
Apart from Valentine’s Day cards, Americans spend a lot of cash on red rose flowers, chocolates, and other gifts on this day.
United Kingdom–In the UK, almost half of the population pays a lot of money on Valentine’s Day.
We estimated they spent billions every year on flowers, cards, chocolates, and other gifts on Valentine’s Day.
Singapore–Singaporeans spend a lot of money on Valentine’s Day.
We estimated that 60 percent of Singaporeans spend between $100 and $500 during Valentine’s Day.
South Korea–Women in South Korea give chocolates to men, and men give non-chocolate candies to women.
Saudi Arabia–Some years back, people in Saudi Arabia would celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th.
However, the sale of Valentine’s Day gifts was banned in 2002 and 2008.
This is because they considered the day a Christian holiday.
Thus, Muslims may not observe Valentine’s Day, and Non-Muslims are required to celebrate the day indoors.
They exchanged a lot of money and gifts in other countries such as Poland, France, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Finland, Taiwan, Japan, and many others.
Summary
Valentine’s Day is a special day for all lovers across the globe.
It is a day named after a Christian martyr known as Valentine.
Although it is not a public holiday, we spend a lot of money on flowers, cards, chocolates, candies, and gifts on Valentine’s Day.
It is a Christian holiday that has extended to languages of love among friends and relatives.
It is a day of romance in most countries all over the world.