14 historical facts about Valentine's Day that will surprise you greatly

And that time comes again. No, not New Year's, or even March 8th. And chocolate-heart-flower Valentine's Day, or Valentine's Day. And while everyone has love in the air, we decided to dig out historical facts about this day that have little to do with falling in love and flowers.

Roman Emperor Claudius II did not allow his soldiers to marry during the war, as he believed that love and marriage were not connected in any way. According to the Golden Legend, a collection of Christian legends and the lives of saints, it was under Claudius II that Saint Valentine was executed.

In fact, there are several legends about Saint Valentine. One says that he secretly married lovers, was caught and executed by order of the emperor. According to another, Valentin tried to help Christians who were persecuted at that time escape from prison, was discovered and captured. He fell in love with his jailer's daughter and wrote her the first valentine, signing "Your Valentine". Anyway, Valentine was executed, and Pope Julius II beatified him, presumably on February 14.

Red roses were the favorite flowers of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. In general, each flower has its own meaning, so try not to give your girlfriend a bouquet of hate from yellow lilies, for example. © rexfeatures

It was King Henry VIII of England, famous for the fact that almost all of his six wives tragically died (he executed two himself, one died after childbirth), in 1537 made February 14 an official holiday for lovers.

The city of Verona still receives thousands of letters addressed to Juliet, Romeo's beloved. The photo shows the statue of Juliet in Verona. © rexfeatures

Only in In the Middle Ages, Valentine's Day became associated with love, and then only because, for example, in France and England, in February, birds began their mating season. © rexfeatures

Many historians suggest that the day of February 14 was chosen not because of St. Valentine, but to replace the ancient Roman pagan fertility festival of Lupercalia in honor of the god Faun, as well as the founders of the city Romulus and Remus. During the celebration, goats and dogs were sacrificed, men undressed, ran around the city and whipped everyone with animal skins, especially women, since the blow was considered a blessing. Then the leaves with women's names were placed in a vessel, and the men chose a couple for a year in this way, after which they married.

Valentines appeared at the beginning of the XX century, when the printing business became not such a complicated process. At that time, it was not customary to openly express their feelings, so valentines were most welcome.

In fact, in the III century there lived several Christian martyrs named Valentine — the Holy Martyr Valentine, bishop of the city of Interamna, and the presbyter Valentine of Rome, as well as the martyr Valentin Dorostolsky, a warrior who accepted death for the open confession of Christianity.

In the Roman church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, you can admire the skull of St. Valentine. Yes, this is one of the main attractions of the church. We hope that this is the skull of exactly the "right" Valentine. Aren't you going to Rome any time soon? Great, you can look at the rest of his skeleton in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, Great Britain and France.

In the time of Queen Victoria in England, it was considered a bad omen to sign valentines. Probably, this was due to the fact that, again, it was not customary to openly declare their feelings, since it was possible to compromise the beloved.

The oldest valentine card with a poem has been preserved, which was sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Unfortunately, his wife died before she could receive the Duke's poem.

At the beginning of the XIX century, doctors actively encouraged people to eat chocolate in order to calm the longing for their beloved. And at the end of the XIX century, Richard Cadbury released the world's first box of chocolates.

In the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate, so when they had to sign a document, they simply put the X symbol in front of witnesses, and then kissed their "signature" as a sign of the sincerity of their decision. Among such documents were marriage certificates.