Meaning of valentine's day (or day of love and friendship) (what it is, concept and definition)

What is Valentine's Day (or Day of Love and Friendship):

Valentine's Day, also known as Love and Friendship Day, is a holiday to celebrate love between couples and between friends.

It is a special date for lovers and friends to express their love and affection.

It is a celebration in which lovers make gifts (flowers, chocolates), cards are dedicated and letters and messages are written to express their love. It is a day when people go out to dinner or attend themed events.

All this has contributed to many people criticizing that it has lost its original spirit and that it has become a commercial celebration.

Valentine's Day, also called Valentine's Day, is celebrated on February 14 in almost all countries. In Colombia, however, the Day of Love and Friendship is also celebrated on the third Sunday of September.

Origin of Valentine

There are several stories about the origin of Valentine's Day. One of the most popular accounts that during the Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius II prohibited soldiers from marrying, considering that single men performed better in battle.

A bishop named Valentin considered this prohibition unfair, and, in contravention of the emperor's order, secretly married couples, among other things to safeguard the sacrament of marriage. Upon being discovered by Caesar, he was imprisoned.

In prison, Valentine was ridiculed by his jailer, who challenged him to return his sight to his blind daughter, which Valentine did in the name of the Lord.

It is said that Valentine's Day was executed on February 14, hence the celebration of Valentine's Day to this day.

Another story tells that, in reality, the Catholic Church created Valentine's Day to end the pagan tradition of the lupercal festivities, which was a ritual for fertility.

Valentine Cards

The tradition of offering cards on this date dates back to 1842, when artist and businesswoman Esther Howland popularized Valentine's cards. The cards were adorned with romantic motifs and images associated with couples in love, roses, hearts and Cupid, who represents the god of love desire in Roman mythology.

Today it is very common to give cards, both cardboard and digital, to our couples (boyfriends and girlfriends) and our best friends to remember the importance of love as a feeling of togetherness and happiness.

See more about Cupid.

Phrases for Valentine's Day

• "Loving someone deeply gives us strength. Feeling deeply loved by someone gives us courage. " Lao Tzu. “If you don't love me, I will never be loved. If I don't love you, I will never love. " Samuel Beckett. "In true love, the smallest distance is too great, and bridges can be built over the longest distance." Hans Nouwens. "Never forget that the most powerful force on earth is love." Nelson Rockefeller "Neither absence nor time is anything when you love." Alfred de Musset. "To love is to find in the happiness of another your own happiness." Gottfried Leibniz.

See more about the meaning of Love.