When Did Valentine's Day Appear?

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20 Mar 2024

Why is Valentine's Day Celebrated?

Valentine's Day is a popular day celebrated all over the world every year. Every year, lovers and spouses buy each other gifts. They express their love for each other once again by making gestures. It is a universal day because it includes concepts such as affection, love, loyalty and commitment. It is a concept that almost everyone embraces because it corresponds to the most basic emotional needs of humans.

Of course, this day also has a commercial dimension. Sales of brands increase all over the world. People who want to buy a gift for their loved ones or spouses are flooded with advertisements of these brands. When Valentine's Day approaches, they get into a rush to choose gifts. In fact, we begin to put the gift itself in a much more central and important position than the other person: "Will he like my gift?" So, is Valentine's Day really based on this rush? What is the history and real meaning of Valentine's Day?

History of Valentine's Day

In fact, this day is known as "Valentine's Day" in the western world. “Valentine” is actually a person and goes by the name of St. Valentine.

St. Valentine was a Catholic priest who also worked as a doctor. He lived in Italy in the third century AD and served as a priest in Rome.

Valentin was famous for secretly marrying couples who were in love with each other but could not marry because it was forbidden by Emperor Claudius II. While Emperor Claudius was recruiting new soldiers for his army, he banned marriage because he thought marriage would be an obstacle for these soldiers. He also wanted to prevent existing soldiers from getting married because he thought that marriage would be an obstacle for them and would distract them from their work.

When Emperor Claudius discovered that Valentin was marrying couples, he sent Valentin to prison. Valentin used his time in prison to continue to reach out to people with love, saying that Jesus Christ gave his life for others on the cross.

He befriended the guard Asterius, who was greatly impressed by Valentin's wisdom. She asked Valentin to help her daughter Julia with her studies. Julia was blind and had to have someone read material to her to learn. Valentin became friends with Julia through his work with her when she came to visit him in prison.

The Sacrifice of St. Valentine

Emperor Claudius also came to love Valentin. He offered to pardon Valentine and would release him if Valentin agreed to renounce his Christian faith and worship the Roman gods. Not only did Valentin refuse to abandon his faith, but he also encouraged Emperor Claudius to believe in Jesus Christ. This loyalty of Valentin cost him his life. Emperor Claudius was very angry with Valentin's decision and sentenced Valentin to death.

Before he was killed, Valentin wrote a final note to Julia to encourage her to stay close to Jesus and to thank him for being his friend. “From Valentin,” he signed his note. This note inspired people to start writing their own loving messages to people on Valentine's Day, February 14, which is celebrated as the day Valentin was martyred.

Beloved and Love

Nowadays, when we say Valentine's Day, we think of a time when we were in a rush with gifts, surprises and romantic dinners. Of course, these are very meaningful and sweet excitements. We want to express to the other person in the best way how much we love them. On the other hand, there are also some difficulties arising from our becoming a consumer society in this age. Naturally, there is a perception that the degree to which we love the other person is directly proportional to the expensiveness of the gift, surprise, or dinner we receive.

However, love is much deeper than these and is not a concept that we can actually measure in a material way. The most valuable gift a person can offer to another person is himself, his love, loyalty and sincerity. True love is not about what we have or don't have, but only about what we have with love. Below is a definition of true love from the Bible:

True Love

If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am no more than a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. If I can prophesy, if I know all mysteries, if I have all knowledge, if I have faith so great that I can move mountains, but if I do not have love, I am nothing. Even if I give away all I have as alms and surrender my body to be burned, but have no love, it will be of no use to me.

Love never ends. But prophecies will cease, tongues will cease, knowledge will cease. Because both our knowledge and our prophecy are limited. However, when the perfect comes, the limited will disappear. When I was a child, I talked like a child, understood like a child, and thought like a child. When I became an adult, I stopped childish behavior. Now we see everything as a faint image in a mirror, but then we will see each other face to face. Now my knowledge is limited, but then I will know fully as I am known.