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From sacrificing goats to hitting women with animal skin, Valentines Day’s origins are darker than you think

It is time that you take off your rose-tinted glasses as we roll back the time wheel to explore the dark side of Valentine’s Day. Back in the day, love wasn’t as lovely as people had only one thing in their minds.

New Delhi: Ah! so it is that time of the year again. Red roses, trysts going on around the corners, sharing chocolates, and stealing kisses— Valentine’s Day is celebrated as a tribute to passion and love.

A major affair worldwide now, Valentine’s Day has pierced through borders and cultures to symbolize love. However, not many who celebrate it as such are aware of its dark origins.

Yes, it is time that you take off your rose-tinted glasses as we roll back the time wheel to explore the dark side of Valentine’s Day:

Beginnings in Rome

The origins of Valentine’s Day or rather the entire Valentine’s week can be traced back to the fest of Lupercalia in Rome. However, the celebration back then can’t be more different than the one we do today.

Back in the day, love wasn’t as lovely as people had only one thing in their minds. What? BABIES! So, on the fateful days of 14th and 15th February, Roman men would sacrifice an unlucky dog or goat in a large public gathering.

Women then would be then lined up and hit by the skin of the sacrificed animal. It was supposedly done to increase fertility. Then the men would get to pick the women on a lottery basis. Yes, just draw a paper from the jar and get paired with the woman.

Origins of Modern Valentine’s Day

Later, as Christianity caught up with Rome, Pope Gelasius 1 changed the interpretations to get rid of the weird Pagan tradition.

Catholics celebrate 14th February as Valentine’s Day to honour Saint Valentine. Saint Valentine was executed by Claudius II for helping young Christian couples in marrying each other.

Moving forward, romance writers like Shakespeare poured out all shades of love on Valentine’s Day, making it more mainstream. This saw an emergence of handmade greeting cards being exchanged on the 14th and 15th of February. And everything changed once Kansas City Hallmark cards began to mass produce Valentine’s greetings.