The day of love, commonly known as Valentine’s Day is here and as they say, love is in the air. Partners across the globe cherish and celebrate this day, but do you know what is the history behind this day? Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic clergyman who lived in Rome during the 3rd century B.C.
Although the history of this day is shrouded in mystery, we can date back events to the Roman Empire. Back in the day, from February 13 to February 15, Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, in which they sacrificed a dog and a goat. They then whipped women with the slain of these dead animals. Interestingly, young women would line up for the men to hit them as they believed it would make them fertile.
This fete also included a matchmaking lottery, in which young men would pick out names of women from a jar and they would be coupled for the duration of the festival. This sometimes also lead to marriage.
Emperor Claudius II executed two…