What is the English translation of Valentine's Day? What is the origin of Valentine's Day?

The origin of Valentine’s Day in the West

There are various theories about the origin of Valentine’s Day, some are listed below:

Version 1: About the third century AD in Rome, at that time Caesar had been dead for almost three hundred years, and the tyrant Claudius was in power. At that time, there were frequent wars inside and outside Rome, and the people were in dire straits. In order to replenish the number of soldiers and carry the war to the end, Claudius ordered that all men within a certain age range must join the Roman army and serve the country with their lives. Since then, husbands have left their wives and young men have left their lovers. As a result, the whole of Rome was shrouded in long lovesickness. The tyrant was furious at this. In order to achieve his goal, he even ordered that people in the country be prohibited from holding wedding ceremonies, and even asked those who were already married to break their engagements.

However, tyranny cannot prohibit love. In the tyrant's capital, there lived a highly respected monk named Valentine. He couldn't bear to see couples parting ways like this, so he secretly presided over the marriage of God for the lovers who came to ask for help. ceremony. For a time, this exciting news spread throughout the country, and more lovers came secretly to ask for the monk's help.

However, the tyrant soon found out about the matter, so he once again showed his cruel side - putting the monk in prison and eventually tortured him to death. The day the monk died was February 14, 270 AD.

In order to commemorate this man who dared to fight against the tyrant, people gradually made February 14th a holiday. Many centuries have passed, and people can no longer remember Claudius's name, his scepter and sword, but they will still commemorate Brother Valentine because that day is Valentine's Day.

Version 2: This version seems not as exciting as the previous one. Legend has it that Valentine was one of the earliest Christians. Being a Christian in that era meant danger and death. To cover other martyrs, Valentine was caught and thrown into prison. There he cured the blind eyes of the warden's daughter. When the tyrant heard the miracle, he was very frightened, so he beheaded Valentine in public. According to legend, on the morning of the execution, Valentine wrote a loving farewell letter to the warden's daughter, signed: From your Valentine.

Version 3: Historians are more willing to get to the bottom of things, and their interpretation of Valentine’s Day seems convincing. In fact, far earlier than 270 AD, when the foundation of the city of Rome was just laid, the surrounding area was still a wilderness with packs of wolves roaming around. Among the gods worshiped by the Romans, Lupercus, the god of animal husbandry, was responsible for the protection of shepherds and their flocks. Every year in February, the Romans would hold a grand ceremony to celebrate Lupercalia. The calendar back then was slightly later than it is now, so Lupercalia was actually a celebration of the coming spring. Some people also say that this festival celebrates the god Faunus, who is similar to the ancient Greek god Pan with human body, goat's feet and horns on his head, who was in charge of livestock and agriculture. Among the various celebrations of the festival is the young nobles running through the streets holding sheepskin whips. Young women would gather on both sides of the street, praying for a whip to hit them on the head. It was believed that this would make it easier for them to have children. In Latin, the sheepskin whip is called februa and the whipping is called fabruatio, which actually means 'purity'. The name February comes from this.

With the expansion of Roman power in Europe, the custom of Lupercalia was brought to France and Britain. One of the most popular holiday activities is similar to lottery. The young women's names were placed in the box, and then the young men stepped forward to draw. The chosen couple becomes lovers for a year or more.

The rise of Christianity made people's custom of commemorating the gods gradually fade away. The priests did not want people to give up the joy of the festival, so they changed Lupercalia to Valentine's Day and moved it to February 14th. In this way, the legend about the Valentine monks and the ancient festivals are naturally combined. This festival was most popular in medieval England.

After the names of unmarried men and women are drawn, they will exchange gifts with each other, and the woman becomes the man's Valentine within this year. A woman's name will be embroidered on a man's sleeve, and it becomes the man's sacred duty to care for and protect the woman.

The first documented Valentine lover in the modern sense dates from the early fifteenth century. The young French Duke of Orleans was captured by the British at the Battle of Agincourt and imprisoned in the Tower of London for many years. He wrote many love poems to his wife, about 60 of which have been preserved to this day. The use of flowers as a token of Valentine's Day appeared about two hundred years later. One of the daughters of King Henry IV of France held a grand party on Valentine's Day. All women receive a bouquet of flowers from the man who chooses her to be their Valentine. In this way, continuing the ancient Italian, French and British customs, we are able to send messages of love to our friends on February 14th every year. Flowers, heart-shaped candies, and tokens with the name of the sender covered with lace and fringe not only represent sincere love, but also the best memory of the Valentine monks who dared to resist tyranny.

Version 4: In the ancient Roman period, February 14th was a holiday set up to show respect for Joanna. Joanna was the queen of the Roman gods, and the Romans also worshiped her as the goddess of women and marriage. The following February 15th is known as the "Lupasala Festival", which is a festival used to show respect for other gods under the rule of Yona.

In ancient Rome, the lives of young people and girls were strictly separated. However, during the Lupasara festival, young men can choose a favorite girl's name to be engraved on the vase. In this way, during the festival, the young man can dance with the girl of his choice to celebrate the festival. If the chosen girl is also interested in the boy, they can continue to match, and eventually they will fall in love and get married in the church together. For this reason, later generations designated February 14th as Valentine's Day every year.

Version 5: An English dictionary notes that Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day) falls on February 14, and it is said that birds begin to tail on that day.