As the day for lovers fast approaches and the whole city looks like a carnivore or heaven for bees here are a few facts you probably didn't know about Valentine's day.
Honestly, I feel like most people don't even know the origin story and are just in love with the 14th of February because they get to be spoiled rotten then.
Don't get me wrong though, I'm not anti-valentines.
Valentine's day, is a day of love and gifts as most of us have had it ingrained in our minds from a tender age.
It's the day when couples look forward to meeting the high expectations set and impressing their significant other, with social media pressures playing a factor in the type of gifts one gives/receives.
Single people are mostly left feeling lonely, sad, envious, and sometimes angry either at the universe or their ex who ruined their “could’ve been.”
However, we all forget one important detail, this now acclaimed international holiday was originally not a day for lovers but a memorial.
Valentine’s Day is actually a Christian traditional feast day that was set by the Catholic Church to honor not one but two Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine
Emperor Claudius II of the ancient Romans executed two men — both named Valentine — on February 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D.
Their martyrdom, through Pope Gelasius, was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.
However as the years progressed, folk traditions began shifting from the significant cultural and religious feast celebrations and started associating the day with romance and love.
A tradition that first started from the common belief in France and England that birds started their mating season on February 14.
Cooperates soon commercialized the celebration in most regions of the world.
Image: COURTESY
Fun fact: Flowers and chocolates might seem like the obvious and most sort after gifts but according to statistics, jewellery is actually the most spent on Valentine’s Day gift choice, followed by reserved/walk-in date nights at restaurants.
People tend to justify this by tagging along with the idea that St. Valentine is the patron of love.
Valentine defied Emperor Claudius II's ban on marriage. The emperor thought it distracted young soldiers but Valentine continued illegally conducting weddings for couples in the spirit of love. He was caught and beheaded.
However, the cause of his death is still unclear as some legends claim Valentine was killed for attempting to help Christians escape prison in Rome.
Whichever it was, we can’t deny acts of love were involved. But it was love for his fellow humans, love for all people not for a specific someone who'd stolen his heart.
So if the day is to be celebrated, it should be to embrace all the people in your life that you love and feel loved by. Not just set aside for your spouse or romantic partner.
And self-love as well, because how can you ever truly love others if you don’t deeply love yourself?
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