Did Valentine exist? This is the real story behind the legend

The February 14th There are many people around the world who celebrate the Valentine’s Day, also known as Valentine’s Day. Still, most people don’t know who was valentine and the relationship that this character has with the day of love. The reality is that behind this festivity is the Christian priest whom the Church consecrated for centuries every February 14.

It all goes back to 2nd century in Romewhen the emperor Claudius II made the decision to prohibit the marriage for the youngest. He believed that single men without families would make better soldiers since they did not have any ties or romantic relationships. But the protagonist to whom we continue to pay homage today, Valentine’s Dayfought against this order and he risked his life in order to unite the marriage of couples. The story tells that secretly married roman soldiersaccording to the Dictionary of Christianity.

but the priest was discovered and brought before the emperorwho chose sentence him to death by beheadingas confirmed by the website specializing in religious issues aciprensa.com. To relate even more -if possible- the story of this man with love, they say that Valentine met the jailer’s blind daughter in prison, with which he ended up falling in love. According to legend, on February 14, 269, the day of his beheadingthe woman rregained sight.

From religion to celebrating the day of love

In 1382, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote ‘The Parliament of the Birds’, a poem that referred to Valentine’s Day as a celebration dedicated to lovers. The article relates how the birds came together to spawn on February 14. Thus, he was identified as a loving encounter. The inspector Jack B. Oruch confirms in ‘St. Valentine, Chaucer and Spring in February’ that Chaucer was the first to make this connection.

On the other hand, although today command letters to the person you love has become a tradition, the truth is that it is believed that The oldest It is dated in the year 1416. Today it is preserved in the London British Librarywhere they explain that the note was written by Duke Charles of Orleans to his wife after the Battle of Agincourt.

After the industrial revolution, the party went global and greeting cards ended up spreading all over the world. It arrived in Spain in the middle of the 20th century. thanks to Prized Gallerieswhich carried out an advertising campaign for ‘Three Kings’ Day for lovers’ with which it sought to promote the ‘social elegance of gifts’.

Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is known all over the world and, although each country celebrates it in its own way, the truth is that in all of them the purchase of gifts and love letters accompanied by sweets or flowers.