Valentine's Day

The history of Valentine's Day dates back to a dark day of fasting had to honor St. Valentine. The association with romantic love comes after the late Middle Ages, during which the concept of romantic love was formulated. Bishop Valentine fought against the orders of Emperor Claudius II, who had forbidden the marriage during the war believing that single men were better fighters. In addition to continuing celebrating marriages, he married secretly, despite the ban of the emperor. The practice was discovered and Valentine was arrested and sentenced to death. While imprisoned, many young people sent him flowers and notes saying they still believed in love. While in prison awaiting the fulfillment of his sentence, he fell in love with a jailer's blind daughter and miraculously restored her sight. Before execution, Valentine wrote a farewell message to her, in which he signed as "Boyfriend" or "From your Valentine." Considered a martyr for the Catholic Church, the date of his death - February 14 - also marks the eve of Luperce, annual festivals celebrated in ancient Rome in honor of Juno (the goddess of women and marriage) and Pan (god of nature). One of the rituals of this festival was the demonstration of fertility, where the priests marched through the city hitting all women with thongs of goat leather to ensure fertility. Another version says that in the seventeenth century, British and French began to celebrate Valentine's Day as the union of Valentine's Day. The date was adopted a century after the United States, making it the Valentine's Day, and The Middle Ages, it was said that February 14 was the first day of mating birds. Therefore, the lovers (as) the Middle Ages used this opportunity to leave messages of love on the doorstep of (a) loved (a). Currently, the day is mainly associated with the mutual exchange of love messages in the form of symbolic objects. Modern symbols include the heart and the silhouette of a figure of a Cupid with wings. Begun in the nineteenth century, the practice of scraps manuscripts gave way to the exchange of greeting cards produced in mass. It is estimated that, worldwide, approximately one billion cards with romantic messages are sent each year, making this one of the most lucrative day of the year. It is also estimated that women purchase approximately 85% of all those present in Brazil. The Valentine's Day was until a few decades ago a festival celebrated mainly in Anglo-Saxon countries, but throughout the twentieth century the habit has spread to many other countries.