Did You Know Valentine's Day Has A Dark History? Know The Popular Lore Behind The Day Of Love

Valentine’s Day celebrates romance, love, and public displays of affection. However, its beginnings are far from sweet. The holiday has dark, violent, and confusing roots. While historians have not agreed on a single origin, ancient Rome offers the earliest and most likely starting point. Though there is no official confirmation, most people believe these reports.

As per npr, Valentine’s Day traces its roots to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, celebrated from February 13 to 15. During the ritual, men removed their clothes and sacrificed a goat or a dog. They dipped the animal’s hide in blood and used it to strike young women, believing the act increased female fertility. Later, women placed their names in an urn, and men drew them in a lottery to form pairs. Some of these matches eventually led to marriage.

It is said that this practice ended by the late 5th century, when Pope Galasius I abolished it and introduced Saint Valentine’s Day in its place.

Many believe the ancient Romans also gave the modern day of love its name. According to legend, Emperor Claudius II executed two men, both named Valentine, on 14 February in different years during the third century. The Catholic Church later honoured their martyrdom by marking St Valentine’s Day.

Another belief says Saint Valentine served as a priest who secretly helped couples get married. At the time, Emperor Claudius II banned marriage for men, claiming unmarried men made better soldiers. On the ruler’s orders, Saint Valentine was beheaded.

In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I further reshaped the tradition by merging St Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia to remove pagan customs. However, eventually, the festival became more of a symbolic retelling than its original form.