While most women expect to be showered with chocolates, flowers and gifts in honor of this day, Valentine's Day dates back to a time in history when women were whipped with goat's skin.Yes, that kind of beating!
Valentine's Day dates back to 300 BC (Before Christ) where every year between Feb 13 and Feb 15, the Romans engaged in celebrations in honor of the Spring season.
The festivity was marked by the sacrifice of a dog or a goat whose skin was used to whip women; a ritual believed to increase women's fertility.
In addition, they engaged in what can relate to the modern day blind date where men and women names were drawn via a lottery, they were coupled up for the duration of the festival or longer, if the match was right.
Another possible origin dates back to 5th Century AD (After Death) when Pope Gelasius decided to expel this holiday and replace it with a celebration of martyrs who were called Valentine.
The Catholic Church decided to honor the martyrdom of two men both named Valentine who were executed on February 14 of different years by Emperor Claudius (a controversial Roman Emperor who served from 41 to 54 AD).
[caption caption="A depiction of the execution of St Valentine (Facebook)"]
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Another legend narrated a story of a priest (Saint Valentine) who was executed after he ignored the emperor's ban on marriage of young men in his army.
A different tale is of a Christian priest who was jailed and fell in love with his the prisoner's daughter. Before his death, the priest signed a love letter to her with the words “from your Valentine.”
Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century.
As years went by, the holiday drew prominence and Geofrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare romanticized this in their work.
[caption caption="File image (Twitter)"]
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In 1415, a 21-year-old Charles of Duke became famous for allegedly sending the first Valentine's Day card while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
What boosted the Valentine's Day spread across Britain was the emerging consumer demands, popular culture and the power of advertising aided by the developments in printing and mass productions.
Now you know!
