HISTORICAL TRACES OF VALENTINE'S DAY CELEBRATIONS

Valentine's Day, or what young people usually call Valentine's Day, is now very popular and eagerly awaited by couples who are in love. February 14 is considered a sacred moment and the most appropriate to show our affection for the opposite sex.  

Various ways are chosen and carried out to express someone's desire for love, such as giving a gift containing chocolate, a bunch of flowers, inviting them to dinner in the most romantic place and other things that are surprises. 

History of Valentine's Day  

Reporting from several trusted sources, it is known that the emergence of Valentine's Day began in the city of Rome. Valentine was the name of a Catholic priest in the city of Rome in the 3rd century AD, in full Saint Valentine.  

At that time, the Roman Empire was led by Emperor Claudius II where the security situation was again volatile. The Roman Empire often experienced security threats from the Gothic people who lived around Black Lat.  

This chaotic situation required the emperor to make a policy forbidding young men from marrying or getting engaged and requiring them to take part in military service or become part of the Roman army.  

This decision was felt to be very unfair to Saint Valentine as the leader of the Catholic church at that time. Secretly he put up resistance by ignoring the decision of Emperor Claudisius II.

He continued to carry out marriage after marriage and as a result his actions became known to the king. As a result of Saint Valentine's actions, Emperor Claudius sentenced him to death by beheading him. 

So, before arriving on the day of the execution, Saint Valentine was in prison for several weeks. While he was in prison, he became acquainted with a blind girl, the daughter of the head warden of the royal prison.  

His acquaintance with the girl resulted in feelings of love and Saint Valentine tried hard to cure the blindness suffered by the girl he adored. Because of his efforts, the girl was able to recover and before the last seconds before receiving the death execution, Saint Valentine left a letter to her father.  

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Interestingly, in the closing phrase of the letter there is a short closing sentence "from your valentine". This is the magnetic field, why Valentine's Day is not only celebrated in various ways but is always accompanied by a string of affectionate words behind a letter.  

Valentine's Day has become a legend all over the world, it is undeniably the most anticipated celebration for young people every year. 

So, why was February 14 chosen as Valentine's Day?  

The 14th is the date on which the saint was buried in the via flaminia after being beheaded. Reporting from the Wikipedia page, Via Flaminia itself is actually the name of an ancient Roman road that stretches between the Apennine mountains in Rome to Ariminum on the Adriatic Sea coast.  

Valentine's Day celebrations in 7 countries 

As stated at the beginning, Valentine's Day celebrations are always different for each person, even between countries in the world. Let's look at several forms of celebration in several countries  

1. Denmark 

In this country, young people celebrate Valentine's Day through the tradition of exchanging romantic poetry. Not only that, they even sent a greeting card containing a joke.  

2. Japan  

In a country known as the Land of the Rising Sun, women celebrate Valentine's Day by giving chocolates to men, whether they are just friends or boyfriends. Uniquely, men will return gifts from women 1 month later on March 14th.

3. Germany  

German youth commemorate Valentine's Day with a bouquet of flowers, containing a love letter to the opposite sex. It is believed that the number of flowers given cannot be even because bad luck will befall them, so it must be an odd number of 1, 3 or 5.  

4. United States  

Different countries have different traditions, such as in Uncle Sam's country celebrating Valentine's Day by sending a card containing an insulting message or saying goodbye. 

>5. China  

In the country of the bamboo curtain, Valentine's Day is celebrated twice by young men and women, namely February 14 and July 7.  

6. Italy  

Well, in this country, the center of the world's Catholic religion or the source of Valentine's Day, the form of celebration is very obvious for couples with engaged status. The celebration is shown by giving a shopping basket or porcelain cup filled with candy and a ribbon as a symbol of their bond of love.  

7. Korea  

Different customs are found in Korea, namely the celebration of Valentine's Day is divided into two, for those who have a partner, it is celebrated on February 14 with the symbol of giving chocolate, but for those who are single, celebrated on April 14 by sitting together to eat  noodles.

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