Valentine's Day: the most interesting facts! Interesting facts about Valentine's Day Facts about Valentine's Day.

1. In ancient Rome, on February 14, a holiday was celebrated in honor of the goddess of marriage and motherhood, Juno. On this day, the girls wrote love letters, which they then threw into a huge urn. The young men had to, without looking, take out one letter at a time and begin to court the girl whose letter they came across.

2. The next day, February 15, the festival of abundance was celebrated - Lupercalia, dedicated to the god Faun (one of his nicknames was Lupercus). Young people dedicated this day to finding a life partner. And some were quite successful, since after the copyright-by-holiday many new families often appeared.

3. Around the same time, ritual games were performed in honor of the god Pan - panurgy.

4. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that birds formed mating pairs in the second week of February. Hence the second name for Valentine's Day - “Bird Wedding”.

5. Some time after his death, Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church, and in 496, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine's Day.

6. In Europe, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated en masse only in the 13th century, in the USA - in 1777, and in Russia - only at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.

7. Saint Valentine is a Catholic, and the Orthodox also have their own patrons - Saints Peter and Fevronia. On July 8, Orthodox Christians celebrate “Valentine’s Day.” The Russian Orthodox Church venerates Saints Peter and Fevronia, who patronize newlyweds and especially young families.

8. One of the first valentines was a card sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife from the Tower prison, where he was imprisoned. The card is still kept in the British Museum.

9. In 1797, “A Young Man’s Guide to Writing Valentines” was published in England, which contained many poems and dedications for those who themselves could not come up with anything worthwhile.

10. The custom of giving gifts did not appear yesterday. Another court chronicler of the English court, S. Pepys, who lived in the 17th century, wrote that on February 14, lovers exchanged souvenirs.

11. From time immemorial, cinnamon has been a secret message for lovers. It all started with the gloomy story of Emperor Nero, who, by the way, lived long before the birth of St. Valentine. Being irritated with his wife, the Roman tyrant stabbed his half with a dagger. Realizing what he had done and repenting, he ordered a year's supply of cinnamon to be burned at her funeral (at that time the spice was valued more than gold).

12. An original way to confess your love is to give your crush an ordinary... tomato. Once upon a time in France it was called “pomme de copyright-by-feast-cupid” - the apple of love. The tomato received this nickname for a reason: passionate French believed that the tomato could speak the language of love.

13. The L'amour sofa is a wide armchair that can accommodate a couple of lovers.

14. Previously, a sofa in the shape of the Latin letter S was also in demand among well-bred families. In this case, lovers could sit next to each other - but not too close!

Tradition to celebrate St. Valentine's Day, aka Valentine's Day, came to us from the West. On this day, lovers give each other gifts, declare their love and, of course, always give each other special cards - valentines.

There is a beautiful legend about the origin Valentine's Day. According to this legend, the Roman emperor Claudius II, who lived in the third century AD, was opposed to marriage alliances, as they prevented his legionnaires from fighting well. Therefore, the emperor issued a decree prohibiting marriage. Priest Valentin, contrary to the decree, continued to secretly marry lovers, for which he was thrown into prison and sentenced to death. The jailer's daughter, seeing Valentine and learning his story, fell in love with him. The priest reciprocated her feelings. Since they could not see each other, the lovers communicated through correspondence. On the day of execution, 14 February 270(according to other sources 269) year, the priest sent his beloved the last note with the signature "From Valentin» .

According to another version of the legend about the origin of Valentine's Day, the head of the prison in which he was imprisoned Valentine for his “criminal” acts, learned about the prisoner’s healing abilities and brought his blind daughter to him Julia. On the day of his execution, Valentin wrote a farewell love letter to Julia. Having received the note, the girl discovered yellow saffron inside it and a miracle happened - she received her sight.

Under the name Saint Valentine's Several early Christian holy martyrs are known. One of them was Valentine, a Roman priest who was executed around 269 AD. Another famous one Saint Valentine- This is the bishop of Interamna. This saint was known for his miraculous healings. He was executed for converting the mayor's son to Christianity. Perhaps this particular saint is mentioned in the legend. Holiday February 14 It was established in memory of both saints in 496 by Pope Gelasius I.

Already in our time, in 1969, as a result of the reform of worship, Saint Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church (along with other Roman saints, information about whose lives is contradictory and unreliable). Catholic Church The 14th of February honors the memory of the saints Cyril and Methodius. The Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of Valentin, presbyter of Rome on July 6 (19).

According to another legend, the roots of Valentine's Day go back to pagan times. It is believed that the “predecessors” of this holiday were the so-called Lupercalia– a holiday of abundance and eroticism. Lupercalia was held in ancient Rome in honor of the goddess of “feverish” love Juno Februata and patron god of flocks Faun (Luperca) February 15.

Young girls wrote love notes men and put them in a special urn for drawing lots. The man who took out such a note had to look after the one who wrote it. On this day, men lashed women they met with whips made from the skin of a sacrificial goat. This should have contributed female fertility, so they gladly exposed themselves to blows.

Pope Gelasius I in 494 AD “moved” the celebration Lupercalium from the fifteenth to the fourteenth of February. Thus, Lupercalia coincided with the day of veneration Saint Valentine's. Soon the celebration of Lupercalia came to an end.

Celebration Valentine's Day It is in February that it is also associated with the beginning of the mating season in birds. It was believed that if a marriage was concluded at this time, it would be long and happy.

There have been approximately eight Saint Valentines throughout the history of Christianity. Celebrations were held in honor of three of them. Most likely, Valentine's Day was named after either Valentina from Terni, or Valentina from Rome, although some researchers believe that it was the same person.

Whether it was this way or another, but, apparently, it was from there that the custom began to write love notes on Valentine’s Day - "Valentines". They also like to hold weddings and get married on this holiday. It is believed that this will be the key to eternal love.

In Western Europe, Valentine's Day has become widely celebrated since the 13th century, in the USA - since 1777.

The tradition of giving gifts on this day grew stronger every year and for some it became a fairly successful business. For example, at the beginning of the last century, Americans it was customary to send to your marzipan for brides, which were quite expensive.

IN Japan The tradition of giving sweets on this day appeared at the suggestion of one large manufacturing company. chocolate. Valentine's Day began to be celebrated there in the 1930s, and to this day chocolate remains the most common gift. By the way, there Valentine's Day slightly reminiscent of “March 8th for men”, since Japanese men receive, perhaps, even more gifts than women: men's accessories such as a razor, lotion, wallet, and so on.

The passionate French on Valentine's Day it is customary to give jewelry, and in romantic Denmark people send dried white flowers to each other.

IN Britain On February 14, unmarried girls get up before sunrise, stand near the window and look at the passing men. According to legend, the first man they see is betrothed.

Poles traditionally visit the Poznań metropolis. After all, according to legend, the relics of St. Valentine are kept there, and above the main altar is his miraculous icon. It is believed that veneration of the relics of a saint helps in love.

Italians They prefer to give sweets to their loved ones. In Italy, Valentine's Day is therefore called a “sweet” day. The Italians also send "Valentines" by mail in a pink envelope, sealed with a kiss, without a return address.

Very peculiar attitude towards Valentine's Day in Germany. The Germans consider love a slight insanity and for them St. Valentine is their patron saint crazy people. Therefore, on February 14, the Germans decorate psychiatric hospitals with scarlet ribbons and balloons, and a special service is held in chapels on this day.

And on Rus' there was its own Valentine's Day, but it was celebrated not in winter, but at the beginning of summer. He was associated with a legendary love story Peter and Fevronia and is dedicated to Kupala - the pagan Slavic god, the son of Perun.

The holiday of all lovers is spread all over the world, however, there are also countries in which it is not customary to celebrate Valentine's Day or even forbidden. These are, first of all, Muslim countries, for example, Saudi Arabia. This is the only country where Valentine's Day prohibited by law. Those who do not comply with this prohibition are subject to heavy penalties. fines.

In 2011, in order to prevent the spread of Western culture, Iran "Valentines" were banned, teddy bears and other attributes of Valentine's Day. In addition, some religious activists in India and Pakistan protest Valentine's Day as a holiday of fornication and shame. They view it as a Western celebration where people satisfy their sexual desires.

Red heart is a ubiquitous symbol Valentine's Day. The color red is usually associated with the color of blood. People once thought that the heart, which pumps blood, was the part of the body in which love feeling. When the Egyptians mummified the remains of dead people, they removed all organs from the body except the heart. They believed that without a heart the body would not be able to go through eternity.

The popular medieval misconception of choosing a mate on February 14th made them one of the most popular images on Valentine's cards. It is known that pigeons choose their boyfriend or girlfriend for life, and are often associated with Venus and other love deities.

In terms of the number of greeting cards sold (about 277 million), Valentine's Day ranks second after Christmas.

Approximately one billion "Valentines" is sent around the world every year, and people receive around 2.6 billion cards at Christmas.

In 2010, the world record for the largest mass gathering in the world was broken in Mexico City. kiss, in which for some reason an odd number of people (39,897) participated.

A certain group of feminists began to celebrate February 14, something like an alternative "Day of Solitude". It is intended for people who "resist the tyranny of division into pairs."

Symbol ribbons, which often adorns modern Valentine cards, has its roots in Middle Ages. When knights fought in tournaments, their lovers often gave them ribbons as a symbol of good luck.

Lace also often used as decoration for Valentine's Day. The word "lace" comes from the Latin word "laques", which means "to trap" or "net", that is, to capture the heart of a loved one.

According to Welsh belief, anyone born on Valentine's Day will loving. On the contrary, a calf born on this day will not bring good offspring, and if chickens lay eggs on this day, they will rotten very quickly.

On Valentine's Day, the legendary sea captain, pirate and explorer James Cook was killed in Hawaii (1779), Oregon and Arizona were annexed to the United States (1859 and 1912, respectively), James Polk became the first photographed president of the United States (1848), UPS was formed (United Parcel Service), a private parcel delivery company (1919), the League of Women Voters was organized (1920), the United States conducted the first nuclear test in Nevada (1976), the Voyager spacecraft took the first photograph of the entire solar system (1990) .

Most Valentine's Day cards receive teachers. Behind them come children, mothers and wives. Children aged 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million "Valentines" in year.

IN Texas There is a city called Valentine, but not for romantic reasons. Just the first train arrived here on February 14th.

Valentine's Day Traditionally celebrated on February 14th. On this day, it is customary to give each other romantic gifts and cards in the shape of hearts. But few know where this tradition came from. What else interesting and unusual does this holiday hold?

Celebrations of Valentine's Day are associated with an ancient legend.. According to legend, the beginning of history dates back to the 3rd century. The Ternian priest Valentin, secretly from Emperor Claudius II, married legionnaires to their lovers. For this, the bishop was burned at the stake on February 14, 270.
Not all countries celebrate this holiday on February 14th.. Spain welcomes it on May 1, and Brazil on June 12.
There is a version that Valentine's Day began to be celebrated back in the days of paganism., when February 15 in Rome was considered a day of abundance and eroticism. According to legend, this day became a holiday thanks to the will of Pope Gelasius. The celebration was moved to February 14 due to the veneration of St. Valentine.
Where did the tradition on this day of giving each other notes, the so-called “Valentines” come from?? This custom is also associated with the name of the priest Valentin. Before his execution, he gave a note to his beloved, who was blind. The letter contained a flower, which illuminated the girl’s face with its radiance. And the incredible happened: her vision returned! According to another belief, on a holiday of abundance and eroticism, young girls wrote messages to men and left them in a special urn. The one who pulled out such a note had to start courting the author of this letter.
According to statistics, school teachers receive the largest number of Valentine cards., because children are the main senders of letters on Valentine's Day.
Valentine cards are red - the main symbol of the holiday.. This color is associated with the color of blood. When mummifying the remains of a human body in ancient Egypt, all the blood was pumped out of the entire body except the heart. They thought that without a heart the deceased would not be able to pass through eternity.
In addition to beautiful heart-shaped cards, men give their ladies bouquets of flowers. Every year on February 14, several hundred million of these gorgeous flowers are sold.
The tradition of giving gifts on Valentine's Day comes from America..
A popular gift for February 14th is sweets. In Japan, such a gift is presented exclusively to men. And a man can give his beloved only white chocolate only after a month. On March 14, young people give gifts to women on Valentine's Day.
In some countries, there are certain gifts that are customary to give on Valentine's Day.. For example, in France they present each other with jewelry and treasures, and Danish men give women dried white roses.
In England, unmarried girls look forward to this day. Early in the morning they sit near the window and watch passers-by. The first man a girl notices will be her betrothed.

It is believed that Valentine's Day has existed for more than 16 centuries, but the holidays of Love have been known since even earlier times - since the times of ancient pagan cultures. For example, the Romans celebrated a festival of eroticism called Lupercalia in mid-February, in honor of the goddess of love, Juno Februata.

The holiday also has a specific “culprit” - the Christian priest Valentin. This story dates back to around 269, when Emperor Claudius II ruled the Roman Empire. The warring Roman army experienced an acute shortage of soldiers for military campaigns, and the military leader was convinced that the main enemy of his “Napoleonic” plans was marriage, for a married legionnaire thinks much less about the glory of the empire than about how to feed his family. And, in order to preserve the military spirit in his soldiers, the emperor issued a decree prohibiting legionnaires from getting married.

But that didn’t make the soldiers fall in love any less. And to their happiness, a man was found who, without fear of the imperial wrath, began to secretly marry the legionnaires with their beloved. He was a priest named Valentine of Terni. Apparently, he was a real romantic, since his favorite pastimes were reconciling quarrels, helping write love letters, and giving flowers to the objects of their passion at the request of the legionnaires.

Of course, as soon as the emperor found out about this, he decided to stop his “criminal activities.” Valentin was sentenced to execution. The tragedy of the situation was also that Valentin himself was in love with the jailer’s daughter. The day before the execution, the priest wrote a farewell letter to the girl, where he told about his love, and signed it “Your Valentine.” It was read after he was executed.

Subsequently, as a Christian martyr who suffered for the faith, Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church. And in 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 Valentine's Day.

Since 1969, as a result of the reform of worship, Saint Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church (along with other Roman saints, information about whose lives is contradictory and unreliable). However, even before 1969, the church did not approve or support the traditions of celebrating this day.

In Western Europe, Valentine's Day has been widely celebrated since the 13th century. in the USA - since 1777.

The tradition of giving gifts on this day grew stronger every year and for some it became a fairly successful business. For example, at the beginning of the last century, it was customary for Americans to send marzipans to their brides, which were quite expensive.

In Japan The tradition of giving sweets on this day appeared at the suggestion of one large chocolate production company. Valentine's Day began to be celebrated there in the 1930s, and to this day chocolate remains the most common gift. By the way, there Valentine’s Day is a little reminiscent of “March 8th for men,” since Japanese men receive, perhaps, even more gifts than women: men’s accessories such as a razor, lotion, wallet, and so on.

The passionate French on Valentine's Day it is customary to give jewelry, and in romantic Denmark people send dried white flowers to each other.

In Britain On February 14, unmarried girls get up before sunrise, stand near the window and look at the passing men. According to legend, the first man they see is their betrothed.

But there are some countries in the world that are especially distinguished in celebrating Valentine's Day. First of all this Saudi Arabia, which is the only country in the world where this holiday... is officially prohibited, and under pain of heavy fines.

AND in Rus' there was its own Valentine's Day, but it was celebrated not in winter, but at the beginning of summer. It was associated with the legendary love story of Peter and Fevronia and was dedicated to Kupala - the pagan Slavic god, the son of Perun.

Everyone knows that Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14th. It is on this day that we have prepared for you this thematic article in which you can read various interesting facts about this day

But that didn’t make the soldiers fall in love any less. And to their happiness, a man was found who, without fear of the imperial wrath, began to secretly marry the legionnaires with their beloved. He was a priest named Valentine from the Roman city of Terni. Apparently, he was a real romantic, since his favorite pastimes were reconciling quarrels, helping write love letters, and giving flowers to the objects of their passion at the request of the legionnaires.

Subsequently, as a Christian martyr who suffered for the faith, Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church. And in 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th Valentine's Day.

Whether it was this way or another, but, apparently, it was from there that the custom began to write love notes - “Valentines” - on Valentine’s Day. They also like to hold weddings and get married on this holiday. It is believed that this will be the key to eternal love.

In Western Europe, Valentine's Day began to be widely celebrated since the 13th century, in the United States - since 1777.

In Japan, the tradition of giving sweets on this day appeared at the suggestion of one large chocolate manufacturing company. Valentine's Day began to be celebrated there in the 1930s, and to this day chocolate remains the most common gift. By the way, there Valentine’s Day is a little reminiscent of “March 8th for men,” since Japanese men receive, perhaps, even more gifts than women: men’s accessories such as a razor, lotion, wallet, and so on.

Passionate French people usually give jewelry on Valentine's Day, and in romantic Denmark people send dried white flowers to each other.

In Britain, on February 14, unmarried girls get up before sunrise, stand near the window and look at passing men. According to legend, the first man they see is their betrothed.

But there are some countries in the world that are especially distinguished in celebrating Valentine's Day. First of all, this is Saudi Arabia, which is the only country in the world where this holiday... is officially prohibited, and under pain of heavy fines.

And Rus' had its own Valentine's Day, but it was celebrated not in winter, but in early summer. It was associated with the legendary love story of Peter and Fevronia and was dedicated to Kupala - the pagan Slavic god, the son of Perun.

Some interesting facts about this day
* As the large company Durex states, condom sales increase by 20%-30% on this day!
* In the United States alone, over 189 million roses are sold on this day;
* It is believed that a dove chooses a girlfriend once and for life, so they are often depicted on various Valentine cards;
* If you look at the sales statistics for cards, Valentine's Day takes 2nd place. The first place is given to Christmas. Around Valentine's Day, around 2.6 billion cards are sold!
* There is even a city in the world called Valentine. This city is located in Texas. Do you think this is the most romantic city? No, it’s just that the first train that arrived here arrived exactly on February 14;
* Teachers receive the largest number of valentines, followed by children, then mothers and only then wives. It so happens that children exchange more than 600 million cards, just for the sake of celebration and fun!
* Interesting fact! Lace is very often used on Valentine's Day. This has been going on for a very long time. The fact is that lace in English is translated as "lace". This word comes from the Latin word “laques”. The word “laques” in turn means “to take into the net”, “to take possession of”. That is why lace is very often used as a symbol of “capturing the heart of a loved one”!