By: Julia Todaro
Love is in the air with Valentine's Day is fast approaching, a day to shower our significant others with love and gifts. Many people think it's a fake holiday made by big corporations to sell flowers and cards. However, Valentine's day existed long before greeting cards.
The love of St. Valentine is talked about in the bible, and in so many other scriptures. It is said that valentine's day originated from a roman festival. In the middle of February the Romans had a festival called Lupercalia which signified the start of spring and new beginnings, many people fell in love during this time. In AD 496 Pope Gelasius established the feast of Saint Valentine and said that it would be celebrated on february 14 in honor of Saint Valentine of Rome, who had passed on that date in AD 269.
Valentine's day is celebrated world wide with different beliefs of its origin. It is a time to celebrate love in unique ways. All cultures celebrate differently with their own traditions. In South Korea they celebrate love on the 14th of many different months, “the day of roses” is celebrated in May, “the day of kisses” is celebrated in June, and “the day of hugs” in December. In Ghana, Feb 14 is celebrated as the “National Chocolate Day.” Starting in 2007 “National Chocolate Day.” became a tourist attraction with performances and music events. In Wales, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in a very unique way. The country celebrates its day of love on Jan 25, which is called the “day of San Dwynwen.” since the 16th century lovers in Wales exchanged handcrafted wooden spoons. Seeing how different countries celebrate their own valentines traditions is very interesting and shows us how many ways we can express our love for others.
Even if you don't have a significant other you can still share the joy of giving and receiving love on February 14. Whether that's with family members or close friends you can still do something special!
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!
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