"All ages are amenable to love", - wrote Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, and every year people are divided into two camps - to celebrate or not to celebrate Valentine's Day. What this holiday is, where it came from and where it is celebrated, this is the subject of our article.
The reading time is 4 minutes.
The story of St. Valentine's
According to legends, there was a Christian priest named Valentine who lived in the Roman Empire in the 3rd century AD. Or even, judging by various sources, there were several people with this name. And, as we know, Ancient Rome at that time remained predominantly pagan, and Christianity was not honored by the emperors. Therefore, there are several versions of what happened to these clergymen around the same time - 265-270 AD. The most popular one is that the priest Valentine secretly married soldiers to their lovers, bypassing the emperor's ban. For this he was imprisoned where, thanks to him, the jailer's daughter had an epiphany and fell in love with him. As a result, he was executed on February 14. According to various sources, in 269 or 270.
Since then, this day has become a day for lovers and the memory of the martyr who gave his life for love.
History of Valentine's Day in Russia
It is believed that this Western holiday came to Russia in the late 90s, along with the fashion for everything foreign. In fact, it was revived after a long period of Soviet rejection of everything bourgeois. Before the revolution of 1917, this day - February 14 - was St. Tryphon's Day. And girls traditionally fortune-telling for their fiancé, and balls were organized in noble houses. And in February, weddings were traditionally played. It was connected with the period before the long fast, which began after Shrovetide and lasted until Easter.
Nowadays, this day, although it has not become an official holiday, is celebrated by people who are in a couple. Thus, lovers can use a legitimate reason to confess their romantic feelings. In addition, it is always nice for girls to receive gifts not only on birthday or March 8. Despite the criticism of the holiday by the adult generation, on the eve of February 14, there are queues for bouquets in flower stores.
Valentine's Day traditions in different countries
In European countries, Valentine's Day has a deeper tradition, although it is celebrated in almost the same way. Lovers arrange dates in restaurants and make reservations a couple of days in advance. Otherwise, you can be left without a dinner in a beautiful place. Flower business and traders of themed souvenirs and toys raise prices several times to make money on the celebrants. In general, everything is traditional. But there are some peculiarities.
For example, in Germany couples try to get engaged and married on February 14. This is considered a good sign for future family life.
In Italy, the birthplace of the holiday, lovers can celebrate for an entire month. Similar to Christmas Advent, the theme for the entire month of February is Valentine's Day. Streets and storefronts are decorated with hearts and red and white decorations such as balloons, flowers and soft toys.
But in Japan, they have come up with an interesting way of declaring love on this day - a contest for the loudest declaration. People gather in a special place and take turns shouting words of love to their soul mate. The one who shouts the loudest, it turns out, is the one who loves the most.
In the USA, by the way, this tradition has grown into congratulating everyone who is loved - relatives, children, friends. In other words, the holiday has become a universal day of love. In addition to traditional decorations and gifts, children organize themed performances and concerts in schools. They also organize charity events for hospitals. As in Europe, young people often choose this date to get married.
Why this holiday is often criticized
Yes, there is often a negative attitude towards this holiday. This is mainly due to several reasons. Obviously, the popularity of this holiday is in the hands of sellers of related goods and small businesses. In February, prices for flowers, gifts and themed dinners in restaurants increase several times. This, of course, causes consumer dissatisfaction.
In addition, the need to give expensive gifts imposed by society is criticized. And simple hearts-cards are already leaving many couples dissatisfied. Today's young people live their lives on social media, and bloggers compete with each other in luxury. Young people are starting to reject the holiday altogether to avoid spending.
Thirdly, there is a psychological reason. Lovers often expect on this day a declaration of love or extraordinary surprises. And when this does not happen, disappointment sets in. Moreover, there are studiesIt is important to note that many people prefer to break up a relationship on the eve of the holiday. Thus, the other half will not like the memories of this holiday.
Finally, in Russia, Western holidays are often criticized and Westerners are encouraged to celebrate their own dates. The Orthodox Church usually plays an important role in this. Moreover, even before the revolution it did not encourage the influence of Catholic holidays on Russian culture.
Conclusion
You can treat this day in different ways, but the important thing to remember is that it is part of world culture and a bit of fashion. And fashion, as we know, changes. The main thing is to respect the cultural traditions of other countries and understand their history.
You can read other interesting articles on the topic of holidays in different cultures on our blog:
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