![]() ![]() At the end of the 14th century, in honour of the wedding between Richard II and Anne of Bohemia, he wrote “The Parliament of Fowl”, a poem in 700 verses where he associates the character of Cupid with the martyr St Valentine. Later on, however, the Church itself removed this feast from its calendar, considering it to be non-essential for religious purposes.Īn interesting folkloric interpretation of the feast of St Valentine being the patron saint of lovers is the one also based on the belief (widespread in the Middle Ages especially in France and England) that on the 14th February birds begin to mate.įinally, there is also a literary origin: Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of the Canterbury Tales has the modern merit of having consecrated St Valentine as the patron saint of love. Whatever the question of the identity of the two homonymous martyrs, what we know for sure is that the cult of St Valentine has very ancient traditions in Rome and the martyrdom was honoured by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. As a matter of fact, in the third century AC Emperor Claudius II executed two men, both named Valentine, on the 14th February of different years: a Roman priest who was allegedly beheaded on the Via Flaminia in 269 or 270 for having defied the Roman emperors’ order banning marriage between lovers during wartime and by secretly marrying them (hence the connection between the saint and couples), and a bishop of Terni beheaded in Rome in 273 (who according to the legend, was the first to celebrate the union between a Roman legionnaire and a Christian woman). Who exactly was this Valentine is not completely certain. And so it was that in 496 AC the Pope, with the aim of Christianising the Roman holiday, turned Lupercalia into a Christian festival and Lupercus was replaced by the martyr Valentine. One of the most accredited versions is that it originated in the Roman Empire as a holiday held on the 14th of February to celebrate Juno, the queen of Roman gods and goddesses and protector of women and marriage.Īnother legend says that Valentine’s Day was created as a religious holiday established by Pope Gelasius I to replace the previous pagan festival of Lupercalia (during which the god Lupercus was invoked to protect fertility, and which involved all kinds of sacrifices and rituals such as the pairing off of women with men by lottery). The origin of Valentine’s Day has actually more than one explanation. ![]() So, it’s no wonder then that Valentine’s Day is a big deal in Italy! Alongside other important celebrations, such as Christmas, Easter and Carnival, San Valentino is another important occasion to spend time with your sweetheart (or simply get your fill of chocolate!).Ĭominciamo! Let’s get started! The history of St Valentine Italians have often been represented by modern media, and in history as well, as passionate lovers and seducers: just think of Casanova, a Venetian writer and adventurer who lived in the 18th century famous for his gallant adventures with women and whose name is nowadays synonym for an unscrupulous man dedicated to amorous adventures. We’ll look at how it’s celebrated, how to say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ in Italian, what to write in a Valentine’s Day card, how to express your feelings to your family or partners and some typical Italian phrases of love and beautiful Italian terms of endearment. In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about how to say ‘I love you’ in Italian, plus Italian terms of endearment and the most important day for love in the calendar: Valentine’s Day! Italians call it La festa degli innamorati, the feast of lovers. February 14th is a day dedicated to love and lovers.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |