International holidays - Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day) congratulate →

Every year on February 14, many countries around the world celebrate Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day The history of such a good and cheerful holiday goes back centuries, back to pagan times The “Golden Legend,” passed down from mouth to mouth, has survived to this day During the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II, the army of the empire experienced some difficulties There weren't enough soldiers Then the emperor issued a decree prohibiting legionnaires from entering into legal marriages, believing that a soldier without a wife and children would be more willing to lay down his head on the battlefield However, there were still those who wanted to get married, even under pain of the death penalty It was these couples, walking hand in hand and desiring God's blessing, that the priest Valentin united, without fear for his fate He was known as a romantic, had a cheerful and good-natured disposition, helped lovers in moments of quarrels, gave letters and gifts, men and women willingly trusted him with their heartfelt affairs, and went for advice in amorous matters He did not refuse anyone, he helped with everything he could However, his fate ended sadly The emperor, having learned about his craving for beauty, contrary to his decrees, awarded him the death penalty While in prison, awaiting his death hour, the assistant's amorous affairs unexpectedly fell in love with Julia, the daughter of the prison warden Having experienced a tender feeling on the threshold of life and death, the desperate lover wrote a letter with declarations of love to the girl who so excited him, but they could read it only after the execution It is believed that this letter is fundamental in the tradition of writing valentines on Valentine's Day A little later, Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church, and in 496 the Pope declared February 14 (the day of the priest's execution) as St Valentine's Day But in 1969, during church reform, his name was removed from the church calendar due to insufficient evidence of the holiness of the executed priest But among the people the holiday remained unchanged Traditionally, on this day, couples in love congratulate each other, give gifts, and write valentines Every country in the world has its own rules and customs of celebration So in Russia, Valentine's Day has a wide scope, despite the already existing summer holiday of lovers, the original Russian Day of Peter and Fevronia of Murom