It is February which means that it is the month of love, but how exactly did February out of all the months in the year come to be the month of love?.  

As we know Valentine’s happens on February 14 of every year in the United States as well as other countries around the world. In the United States Valentine’s Day is celebrated by giving those you love things like chocolate, flowers, stuffed animals, and even chocolate flowers. 

Although a lot of the mysteries surrounding how Valentine’s day became a holiday it is known that February has been celebrated as a month of love for longer than we think. Valentine’s Day originated and is rooted in both Christian and Roman tradition although the ways in which it is celebrated have changed with time and region. Some believe that Valentine’s day is celebrated as a commemoration of the passing of St. Valentine although others claim the christian churches decided to place it there in an attempt to Christianize the pagan holiday Lupercalia. 

In ancient Rome to start the Valentine’s festival an order of Roman priests would gather at a sacred cave where the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus  were believed to have been cared for by “she-wolf” Lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat stripping it’s skins into strips dipping them into sacrificial blood and gently slapping the women with them in the streets, they believed this would make them “more fertile” in the future. After the “ceremony” took place the bachelors in town would pick a name (woman) of their choice and spend a year with them, that year usually ending in marriage. 

There is a lot more information surrounding Valentine’s day that was not included in this article. If you want to learn more, consider looking into it. Although Valentines may not be the most popular of holidays it has a long history or religion, and spirituality. For now though rather than sacrificing our loved ones we can kindly buy them a sweet treat or their favorite candy and drink.