Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually in many countries around the world on February 14th.
The date of February 14th was not chosen by chance for this celebration.
A Bit of History
In ancient Imperial Rome, there was an important festival in honor of the god Lupercus, the Faunus, associated with fertility, which took place from February 13th to 15th.
With the consolidation of Christianity in 492 AD, this pagan festival was abolished and in its place Pope Gelasius I instituted a festival dedicated to love in honor of the martyred bishop Saint Valentine of Terni, who throughout his life had dedicated himself to supporting and defending couples in love, for example, by celebrating marriages that often violated the laws of the time. According to history, Saint Valentine died a martyr, beheaded, on February 14, 273 AD, because he refused to renounce his Christian faith in front of the Roman Imperial authority.
According to an ancient legend
According to an ancient legend, it was customary for the priest Valentine to open the garden of his home to children so they could play freely.
One day, however, Valentine was arrested and taken to prison, and from that moment on, the children were no longer allowed to access the garden.
However, a pair of pigeons who, like the children, frequented that place came to help them.
The pigeons managed to find where the Saint was locked up. They approached the prison bars. Valentine tied the key of his garden and a heart-shaped container around their necks. Inside, a note with a love message addressed to the children, signed “Valentino,” was written.
The two pigeons come bach to home and brought the key and the message of love to the people who Saint Valentine loved so much.