Planning for Valentine Date? These Stories Will Shatter Your Plans
Shristy sinha | Feb 07, 2025, 16:47 IST
Valentine's Day is here and we all are ready with our plans to celebrate. But are you sure if it's really a day to celebrate? You will be stunned by what the History says about it. The Historical Context of valentine is much more different from what It is today. Come with me on a tour of ancient Roman civilization from where the Valentine's Day is believed to be Originated.
Love to Celebrate Valentine's Day so, to your acknowledgment you must have also tried to find the reason behind it and to validate you must have found out the reason of valentine's day as being saint valentine's day of love as he sacrificed his life for love. But what if I tell you that you have been scammed? Not only you but the whole world has been scammed by the ancient Roman Civilization and it's king. The day you think as the festival of love was actually a Day celebrated as an absurd, Violent Ritual against women and Humanity.
Though, exact proof hardly exists, but by connecting the dots of existing history and mythology of Rome, it becomes clear that 14th February has given the name of Saint valentine to cover the name of that absurd, violent Festival Lupercalia celebrated in 5th century in Rome. Here are some scariest stories that are known to be connected with the celebration of valentine's day.
14th February, the day we celebrate today as the day of love was once celebrated as a day of inhumane rituals. For us the red and white colours are believed to be the colour of love and romance but in real the red colour was the colour of blood and white was known for milk.
In ancient times Before 5th century a festival named as Lupercalia a Pagan festival was celebrated in Roman civilization. The festival of Lupercalia was celebrated in honour of God Faunus, The God of Fertility, at Lupercal cave or in where the god was believed to live. During this festival a dog and few male goats were slaughtered (by males called Luperci) whom skin was then used as whips particularly called as “Februa” (The name of February month is also believed to be originated from here). The Red colour could be stem back to the blood of sacrifices of animals and white to the milk used to clean the Luperci. This Februa was then used to bless women to increase their fertility. They called it blessing, I call it tyranny. The Luperci (priests that slaughtered animals) roam around the city, striking women with these whips made of those skin. Women welcomed it bared skin, naked or half naked to be lashed as the location of lashes believed to have significant importance. Such as, a lashed breast may lead to lactation. This superstition and gross practice was believed to increase the fertility of women.
Slips of names of all the blood-soaked women were prepared and put in a jar. These women were then randomly chosen by men to decide with whom they want to couple for the feast and then to satisfy their sexual desire. Many of these couples choose to stay together till the next year’s celebration while few of them would fall in love and get married.
But where is valentine in all this and what does he have to do with this festival of Lupercalia?
Okay so let’s jump to the existence of Valentine who later became saint Valentine. Valentine was a small orphan child in Rome but somehow living in a mansion-like house which was embellished with a series of gardens and vineyards, The first thing valentine remembered from his earliest childhood.
He lived in Rome after 250 years of Jesus at a time when Christianity was spreading throughout the Roman empire.
Since his childhood, Valentine loved watching wedding ceremonies. As growing up he came to discover the meaning of marriage which extremely fascinated him. He felt like his house, the beautiful gardens and he himself were just made for weddings. Once he offered a couple in love to get them married in his garden. Slowly he became a minister, and more and more couple came to him to be married. Slowly valentine became saint valentine.
"Emperor Claudius" the Roman king During 268 to 270 ADS put a Ban on Marriage believing that married men would make bad soldiers. But to serve the sexual needs of Soldiers, women were selected through the same lottery system and filled in container to be used by these soldiers.
No one was then allowed to get married throughout the Rome, anyone caught performing wedding ceremony would be killed.
Saint Valentine didn’t stop. He continued performing wedding ceremonies and one day got caught. That was the time of Lupercalia festival, for which his death was delayed, and he was imprisoned. In the jail He saw a beauty glancing at the window next to him. She was Julia, blind daughter of jailor, Valentine fell in love with her at first sight. It is believed that she was blind, yet she cooked delectable meals for valentine. It is believed that valentine cured her eyes. Finally On 14th February (270 AD) he was executed to death. It is believed that before dying he wrote her a last letter in which he mentioned himself as “your valentine”.
But what’s the connection between Valentine's execution and the Lupercalia festival? Here you will find the missing dots connected.
Remember the Lupercus Festival Starts in the beginning of February and goes on till 14th and 15th February. Do you think it’s Just a coincidence that some other Festival started being celebrated at the same time on the same day and at the same place? No, it’s not. History says there’s a major connection.
After 490 AD a spark of rebellion was flaring up in women and the people of Rome against superstitious rituals and the gross festival of Lupercalia. Slowly the rituals were changing such as women now were not lashed on their naked body, they were now lashed just on their hands by men wearing full clothes. But this was also becoming unbearable now.
Pope Gelasius I and Ban on Lupercalia
A Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church finally realised How Brutal and absurd the Lupercus festival was and finally He decided to put a full stop here. He was Pope Gelasius (the third and last bishop of Berber Origin). He held an important position in the church and strongly affirmed the primacy of Rome. Finally in 496 AD Pope Gelasius banned the Lupercalia Festival and Established Valentine’s Day on 14th February to honour Saint valentine.
but it is believed that this day was renamed as Valentine’s Day to hide the stigma of the Lupercalia festival from the history of the Roman Empire, no exact evidence is found but it is also said that he just changed the name of the festival in effect allowing the people to maintain their rituals and celebrations while removing the name.
Christians in Rome were said to believe that Valentine's Day had Pagan Origins while Saint Valentine was a Christian. Some also believed it was wrong to celebrate while some don't celebrate it because Valentine's has no Biblical origin (origin in Bible).
In modern times it is concerned as Individual's Choice whether they want to celebrate Valentine's Day or not.
This article was not here to tell you where you should celebrate Valentine's Day or not but to give you a glimpse of the origin of the day you celebrate so joyfully. You should celebrate love, now it depends on you whether you celebrate it in honour of St. Valentine as he believed in love, or you just take it as a day you can get time to relax and cherish your love life. The Purpose was just to aware you.
Though, exact proof hardly exists, but by connecting the dots of existing history and mythology of Rome, it becomes clear that 14th February has given the name of Saint valentine to cover the name of that absurd, violent Festival Lupercalia celebrated in 5th century in Rome. Here are some scariest stories that are known to be connected with the celebration of valentine's day.
Lupercalia: The Festival of Blood and Milk
Glimpse Of Lupercalia
14th February, the day we celebrate today as the day of love was once celebrated as a day of inhumane rituals. For us the red and white colours are believed to be the colour of love and romance but in real the red colour was the colour of blood and white was known for milk.
In ancient times Before 5th century a festival named as Lupercalia a Pagan festival was celebrated in Roman civilization. The festival of Lupercalia was celebrated in honour of God Faunus, The God of Fertility, at Lupercal cave or in where the god was believed to live. During this festival a dog and few male goats were slaughtered (by males called Luperci) whom skin was then used as whips particularly called as “Februa” (The name of February month is also believed to be originated from here). The Red colour could be stem back to the blood of sacrifices of animals and white to the milk used to clean the Luperci. This Februa was then used to bless women to increase their fertility. They called it blessing, I call it tyranny. The Luperci (priests that slaughtered animals) roam around the city, striking women with these whips made of those skin. Women welcomed it bared skin, naked or half naked to be lashed as the location of lashes believed to have significant importance. Such as, a lashed breast may lead to lactation. This superstition and gross practice was believed to increase the fertility of women.
The Lottery System
But Who Was Valentine?
Christianity
But where is valentine in all this and what does he have to do with this festival of Lupercalia?
Okay so let’s jump to the existence of Valentine who later became saint Valentine. Valentine was a small orphan child in Rome but somehow living in a mansion-like house which was embellished with a series of gardens and vineyards, The first thing valentine remembered from his earliest childhood.
He lived in Rome after 250 years of Jesus at a time when Christianity was spreading throughout the Roman empire.
Since his childhood, Valentine loved watching wedding ceremonies. As growing up he came to discover the meaning of marriage which extremely fascinated him. He felt like his house, the beautiful gardens and he himself were just made for weddings. Once he offered a couple in love to get them married in his garden. Slowly he became a minister, and more and more couple came to him to be married. Slowly valentine became saint valentine.
Defying Claudius’s Marriage Ban
No one was then allowed to get married throughout the Rome, anyone caught performing wedding ceremony would be killed.
Saint Valentine didn’t stop. He continued performing wedding ceremonies and one day got caught. That was the time of Lupercalia festival, for which his death was delayed, and he was imprisoned. In the jail He saw a beauty glancing at the window next to him. She was Julia, blind daughter of jailor, Valentine fell in love with her at first sight. It is believed that she was blind, yet she cooked delectable meals for valentine. It is believed that valentine cured her eyes. Finally On 14th February (270 AD) he was executed to death. It is believed that before dying he wrote her a last letter in which he mentioned himself as “your valentine”.
The Missing Dots
Remember the Lupercus Festival Starts in the beginning of February and goes on till 14th and 15th February. Do you think it’s Just a coincidence that some other Festival started being celebrated at the same time on the same day and at the same place? No, it’s not. History says there’s a major connection.
After 490 AD a spark of rebellion was flaring up in women and the people of Rome against superstitious rituals and the gross festival of Lupercalia. Slowly the rituals were changing such as women now were not lashed on their naked body, they were now lashed just on their hands by men wearing full clothes. But this was also becoming unbearable now.
Pope Gelasius I and Ban on Lupercalia
A Father in Church
A Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church finally realised How Brutal and absurd the Lupercus festival was and finally He decided to put a full stop here. He was Pope Gelasius (the third and last bishop of Berber Origin). He held an important position in the church and strongly affirmed the primacy of Rome. Finally in 496 AD Pope Gelasius banned the Lupercalia Festival and Established Valentine’s Day on 14th February to honour Saint valentine.
but it is believed that this day was renamed as Valentine’s Day to hide the stigma of the Lupercalia festival from the history of the Roman Empire, no exact evidence is found but it is also said that he just changed the name of the festival in effect allowing the people to maintain their rituals and celebrations while removing the name.
Christians (of Rome) On Valentine's Day
Prayer in Church
Christians in Rome were said to believe that Valentine's Day had Pagan Origins while Saint Valentine was a Christian. Some also believed it was wrong to celebrate while some don't celebrate it because Valentine's has no Biblical origin (origin in Bible).
In modern times it is concerned as Individual's Choice whether they want to celebrate Valentine's Day or not.