The History Behind Valentine’s Day- The Holiday We Heart
The origin story of Valentine’s Day—the holiday that the world has fallen in love with quite literally— is somewhat murky. Many historians believe that the earliest link to the modern celebration of love associated with Valentine’s Day began in Rome, the city of romance, with the pagan festival of fertility. This festival was known as Lupercalia and was celebrated in mid-February.
During this festival, naked men would gather together and sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purity to Faunus, the Roman god of Agriculture, as well as Romulus and Remus the Roman founders. They would then cut the goat hide into strips dipped in the sacrificial blood and use them to whip the women, believing that this would make the women more fertile. Later in the day, the women’s names would be thrown into an urn and their names would be chosen randomly to be matched with a man for the next year. This arrangement often ended in marriage and children.
Though the festival continued 150 years into the legalisation of Christianity in the Roman Empire, it was eventually discontinued due to being “non-Christian.” However, shortly after this, the Catholic church declared that February 14 would be set as a day of feasting and celebration in honor of the martyred Saint Valentine (although no one seems to know which one of the three popular Saint Valentines).
Despite Valentine’s Day receiving its official, current date at this time, the holiday wasn’t romanticised until the 14th century when English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote “Parliament of Fowls.” This poem was one of the first references to the concept of Valentine’s Day being a special day for lovers.
More Modern Valentine’s Day Customs
Obviously, over time, Valentine’s Day customs have evolved, so we celebrate this day of love a little differently than we used to. In old-school England, for example, on the eve before Valentine’s Day, women would place five bay leaves on their pillow—one for the centre and four on the corners. This practice was supposed to summon dreams of their future husbands. Now, Valentine’s Day celebrations around the world typically involve some kind of love note, gift, chocolate, flowers, or Valentine’s Day meals.
However, there are still customs and celebrations that are unique to certain countries. South Africans literally aren’t afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves because it is a tradition that women pin the names of their lovers to their sleeves on Valentine’s Day. In Germany, because pigs are a sign of good luck, it is common for lovers to exchange cards with pig symbols or gift each other with cute, pig stuffed animals or figurines.
Whether you choose to celebrate by going out and enjoying a fancy dinner with your significant other, surprising them with a festive card with a meaningful message written inside, or showering them with gorgeous Valentine’s Day flowers and decadent chocolates, Valentine’s Day is the time to show that special someone just how much you love them.
Show Some Love with a Stairlift for Valentine’s Day 2022
Here at Acorn Stairlifts, we believe that there is no greater act of love than gifting someone with independence, confidence, mobility, and an overall better quality of life. This is why Acorn wants to help you show some love to the people you care about most in your life with one of our life-changing lifts.
Don’t allow you or your loved ones to limit themselves to just one level. With a comfortable chairlift that even Cupid would envy, you or a loved one can soar up the stairs, allowing you to access all of the levels of your home that you love.
Whether you want to descend the stairs for a beautiful candlelit dinner, glide up the stairs for a relaxing bubble bath accompanied by a generous glass of wine, or disappear into the gardens for a romantic moonlight stroll, Acorn Stairlifts offers a variety of both indoor and outdoor models just for you.
Call Acorn Stairlifts to get your free quote and one-hour home survey today. Don’t just take it from us. Trust the thousands of satisfied Acorn customers that have left us little love notes—Cupid won’t have to shoot you with an arrow for you to fall in love with your new Acorn stairlift.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
