This is also the 1 holiday for florists, with more than M roses produced yearly for it. This extraordinary show of love on a single day in a year are mostly benefitting Hallmark, Blue Mountain, American Greetings, etc. Lovers all over the world go crazy on this day buying gifts, making plans to have a romantic dinner, watch a romantic movie, etc. You hear everyone around you talking about plans, dates, gifts, flowers, etc.
As for me, I just want to be here, watching this glorious view… chillaxing… with or without my Frenchie. Just being in Paris… letting the romantic setting engulf me. It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day honoring one or more early s aints named Valentinus , and is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.
Source: Wiki. The Catholic Church recognizes at least 3 different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd century in Rome.
When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. Apparently the exact origin of the holiday is unknown, however, one good place to start is ancient Rome, where men stripped naked, grabbed goat- or dog-skin whips, and spanked young maidens in hopes of increasing their fertility, said classics professor Noel Lenski of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The annual pagan celebration, called Lupercalia , was held every year on February 15 and remained wildly popular well into the fifth century A. On the eve of Lupercalia, February 14, a holiday in honor of Juno, queen of the gods and patroness of marriage, was held.
