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The believed origins are that it came from the feast for the patron saint Valentine, by the Catholic Church in 496 A.D. This was a way to overshadow and later replace the Pagan festival of Lupercalia. This festival was celebrated at the beginning of spring and paid homage to the Roman God of Agriculture, Faunus, on February 15. A goat would be sacrificed symbolizing fertility and purity, respectively. This would then involve the hide of the goat being torn into strips, dipped in the sacrificial blood, and painted across women and crops.

Despite there being many Valentines associated with the patron saints day, historians believe that the romanticized element of how Valentine’s Day is celebrated today came from a priest who was martyred by emperor Claudius II Gothicus in around 270 A.D. Varying stories talk about different St Valentines with some saying one was marrying couples in secret to prevent men going off to war, another healed the blind, and the next wrote a message to his daughter signed ‘your Valentine’. There is also a possibility that they could be the same person!

It was during the 1400s that the day was associated with romance. Messages, or ‘Valentines’ as they were called, began to appear. Hand-written letters and poems declaring affection or love became more and more popular. In the mid-1800s, Valentine’s cards began to be commercially produced, and traditional gifts were candy and flowers, especially red roses symbolizing love and beauty.

Today, Valentine’s Day has become inclusive of friends and family to show how much you care and love them. Companies have seized the opportunity to fit their products and services into the Valentine’s Day period to benefit from the sales boost, as it continues to grow each year.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/valentines-day/

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