Why is Valentine's Day celebrated? Valentine's Day in different eras and religions. Traditions and signs of Valentine's Day

16.06.2019

Or Valentine's Day. Since the 1990s, this holiday has become popular in Russia.

Initially, the celebration of the memory of St. Valentine was established as a veneration of his martyrdom, without any connection with the patronage of lovers. At the dawn of Christianity, three people who bore the name Valentine were martyred for their faith. The only thing known about the first of them is that he died in Carthage along with a group of fellow believers.

The second Valentine was the bishop of Interamna (now the city of Terni, Italy), he was executed during the persecution of Christians and buried at the Via Flaminius in the vicinity of Rome.

The third martyr, Presbyter Valentinus, was beheaded between 268 and 270 and buried at the Via Flaminius. The relics of Presbyter Valentine rest partly in Rome, partly in Dublin, and the relics of the bishop - in the city of Terni.

During the reform of the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1969, the celebration of the memory of Valentine as a church saint was abolished on the grounds that there is no information about this martyr, except for the name and information about beheading with a sword. In the Catholic liturgical calendar, February 14 is the commemoration of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius.

In the Orthodox Church, both martyrs Valentine have their own commemoration days. Valentin the Roman, a presbyter, is venerated on July 19, and the Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, on August 12.

The history of the emergence of the image of St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers refers to the Middle Ages and their romantic literature, and not to the circumstances of the life of real martyrs who died at the dawn of Christianity.

The day of February 14 in England and Scotland was accompanied by a peculiar custom. On the eve of Valentine's Day, young people gathered and put tickets in the urn with the names of young girls written on them. Then each took out one ticket. The girl, whose name went to the young man, became his "Valentina" for the coming year, just as he was her "Valentine". This meant that for a year relationships arose between young people, similar to those that, according to the descriptions of medieval novels, arose between a knight and his "lady of the heart." This custom was of pagan origin.

According to the custom established since ancient times, the young men sent gifts to their beloved on this day, as well as letters and poems in which they expressed their feelings and wishes.

The very first valentine greeting card in the world is considered to be a note sent from imprisonment in the Tower of London in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, and addressed to his wife.

Valentines were very popular in the 18th century, especially in England. They were exchanged as gifts. Lovers made postcards from multi-colored paper and signed with colorful ink. By the beginning of the 20th century, with the improvement of printing technology, printed cards began to replace handwritten ones.

Today is Valentine's Day in the form of hearts, with declarations of love, marriage proposals or just jokes.

Italians call February 14 sweet day and give sweets and sweets. Valentines are mailed in a pink envelope with no return address.

In Denmark, dried white flowers are usually sent to each other, and in Spain it is considered the height of passion to send a love letter with a carrier pigeon.

In Japan, Valentine's Day has been around for decades. This is not so much a declaration of love as a sign of attention. Chocolate sets specially produced for this day are exchanged by friends, many Japanese women buy "Valentine" chocolates for themselves. In recent years, the fashion to give chocolate has reached elementary schools and even kindergartens.

Giving chocolate on Valentine's Day is also common in South Korea, with gifts given only by women to their men. For the closest men, residents of South Korea prepare chocolate with their own hands.

Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day, the most romantic holiday, is celebrated in most countries of the world on February 14 - on this day for more than one and a half thousand years people have confessed their love to each other.

It is curious that initially the celebration of the memory of St. Valentine was established as a veneration of his martyrdom, without any connection with the patronage of lovers.

Gradually, St. Valentine's Day turned from a Catholic holiday into a secular one. Many people celebrate this holiday with pleasure, although it is not listed on the calendar among official holidays.

Story

St. Valentine's Day has existed for more than 15 centuries, but according to pagan traditions, the "Love" holidays were popular even in ancient times.

So, in ancient Rome on February 15 every year they celebrated the feast of abundance - Lupercalium - in honor of the god Faun (Luperk is one of his nicknames), the patron saint of herds. And the day before the Lupercalia, the feast of the Roman goddess of marriage, motherhood and women Juno and the god Pan was celebrated.

On this day, the girls wrote love letters, which were placed in a huge urn, and then the men pulled the letters. Then each man began to court the girl whose love letter he pulled out.

In ancient Greece, this holiday was called Panurgy - ritual games in honor of the god Pan (in Roman mythology - Faun) - the patron saint of herds, forests, fields and their fertility. According to mythology, Pan is a merry fellow and a rake, plays the flute beautifully and always pursues the nymphs with his love.

Information has been preserved that this day was also called the "Bird's wedding", since it was believed that birds form mating pairs precisely in the second week of the second month of the year.

Saint Valentine

There are many legends associated with the name of Saint Valentine. The most beautiful and romantic of them is the story of a Christian preacher who, in 269, married the legionaries of the Roman Empire with their lovers, despite the prohibition of Emperor Claudius II.

To preserve the military spirit, the emperor issued a decree prohibiting legionnaires from marrying, since it was believed that a married man was thinking about how to feed his family, and not about the good of the empire and military prowess.

Romantic event "Knight of Love"

St. Valentine sympathized with the lovers and tried to help them in every possible way - he reconciled quarreling lovers, composed letters for them with declarations of love, gave flowers to young spouses and secretly married soldiers.

Claudius II, having learned about this, ordered the priest to be thrown into prison, and soon signed a decree on his execution. A halo of romance is shrouded in the last days of the life of St. Valentine.

According to legend, the blind daughter of the jailer fell in love with him, but Valentine, as a priest who had taken a vow of celibacy, could not return her feelings. However, on the night before the execution on February 13, he wrote a touching letter to her, where he spoke about his love. And the girl, having read the message after the execution of the priest, received her sight.

It is assumed that it is from there that the tradition of writing love notes on Valentine's Day - "valentines" originates.

According to the Catholic Church, Saint Valentine really healed a blind girl - the daughter of a dignitary Asterius, who believed in Christ and was baptized. Claudius then ordered the execution of Valentine. That is, Valentine suffered for the faith, and therefore was canonized as a saint.

There is speculation that the Church introduced Valentine's Day as a counterweight to the popular pagan holiday of Love, which could not be eradicated with the advent of Christianity.

Around the same time, a legend appears to explain why St. Valentine patronizes lovers.

One way or another, two hundred years later, Valentine was proclaimed a Saint, the patron saint of all lovers.

However, in 1969, as a result of the reform of worship, St. Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. The reason for this was the fact that there is no information about this martyr, except for the name and information about beheading with a sword.

valentine

The very first valentine greeting card in the world is considered to be a note sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife from the Tower of London, where he was imprisoned in 1415.

Participants of the flash mob "1000 hearts"

Valentine cards were very popular in the 18th century, especially in England. They were exchanged as gifts. Lovers made postcards from multi-colored paper and signed with colorful ink. By the beginning of the 20th century, with the improvement of printing technology, handwritten postcards were replaced by printed ones.

Today, on Valentine's Day, it is customary to give each other valentines in the form of hearts, with declarations of love, marriage proposals, or just jokes. On this day, they also like to arrange weddings and get married.

Traditions

In Europe, this holiday has been widely celebrated since the 13th century. In England, they used to carve wooden "spoons of love" and give them to their loved ones. They were decorated with hearts, keys and keyholes, which symbolized that the path to the heart is open.

The ancestor of the tradition of giving red roses to loved ones is considered Louis XVI, who presented such a bouquet to Marie Antoinette. According to legend, Aphrodite stepped on a bush of white roses and stained the roses with her blood, so red roses appeared.

According to an ancient custom, in England and Scotland on the eve of the holiday dedicated to St. Valentine, young people put tickets in an urn with the names of young girls written on them. Then each took out one ticket.

The girl, whose name went to the young man, became his “Valentina” for the coming year, and he became her “Valentine”. This meant that for a year relationships arose between young people, similar to those that, according to the descriptions of medieval novels, arose between a knight and his "lady of the heart."

Electric boots for lovers installed in Sokolniki Park

According to legend, in Britain, unmarried girls on February 14 get up before sunrise, stand near the window and look at the passing men - the first man they see is their betrothed.

Italians call February 14 sweet day and give sweets and sweets. Valentines are mailed in a pink envelope with no return address. In romantic Denmark, dried white flowers are usually sent to each other, and in Spain it is considered the height of passion to send a love message with a carrier pigeon.

In France, it is customary to give jewelry on Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, the French also hold various romantic contests. For example, the competition for the longest serenade - a song about love - is very popular. And it was in France that the first quatrain message was written.

Valery Melnikov

In Japan, on Valentine's Day, which began to be celebrated in the 30s of the XX century, it is customary to give men chocolate - usually in the form of a Valentine's figurine. This is not so much a declaration of love as a sign of attention.

The tradition of giving sweets on this day appeared at the suggestion of one large chocolate manufacturing company. In addition, the Japanese hold a competition for the loudest and brightest love message. Boys and girls climb onto the platform and shout from there about their love.

Valentine's Day has been celebrated in the United States since 1777. The tradition of giving gifts on this day has grown stronger every year and for some has become a fairly successful business. At the beginning of the 19th century, the Americans had a custom to give marzipan figurines to their loved ones on this day. And marzipans in those days were considered a great luxury.

In the post-Soviet space, people first paid attention to Valentine's Day about two decades ago. And only recent years are celebrated massively with valentines, congratulations and declarations of love.

Valentine's Day is also celebrated in Georgia, despite the fact that the country has its own Love Day, which is celebrated on April 15th.

It is curious that the Georgian Day of Love was once introduced as an alternative to St. Valentine's Day, a tradition to celebrate which came to the newly independent states from Western countries. Romantic Georgians, like many other countries that have their own alternative day of Love, today celebrate both holidays, according to the principle, the more the better.

But there are countries in the world where the holiday of Love has been tabooed. First of all, this is Saudi Arabia, which is the only country in the world where this holiday is officially banned, moreover, under pain of heavy fines.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources.

Of course, Valentine's Day is the most romantic holiday when you can express your feelings to another person and get recognition in return. Everyone exchanges gifts, sweets and cards with tender words of love. Let's plunge into the history of this holiday together and remember why Saint Valentine became the patron saint of loving hearts and what he did for all lovers. There is a sad and at the same time beautiful legend about the origin of this holiday. True, she has several different versions.

The first mention of Valentine's Day

Version one

The story of Saint Valentine began in ancient Rome. He was a young Roman priest who, even under pain of death, helped lovers become legal spouses and secretly betrothed them. The thing is that in those distant and harsh times, all single men were soldiers of their state and its ruler Julius Claudius II forbade them to marry. He believed that in this way they would better fight for new lands, and would not be distracted by thoughts of family and beloved wife. Soon the authorities nevertheless found out that Saint Valentine was violating the ban, and he was sent to prison and sentenced to death. While in prison, he himself met his love, she turned out to be the beautiful daughter of one of the guards - Julia. It was to her that the first valentine was written, in order to express his feelings, the priest in love wrote and gave a message for the girl, which he signed “Your Valentine”. Unfortunately, Julia found out about the bright feelings of the guy only after his execution, which took place just on February 14, 270.

Version two

There is another version of this story. According to which, the patrician Valentine was a Christian, and was imprisoned for his unknown ability to heal even the seriously ill. People did not forget his kindness and handed him notes with words of support and gratitude. By chance, one of them ended up in the hands of the head of this prison, and in the hope of a miraculous cure, he asked to cure his blind daughter of a serious illness. Saint Valentine managed to help her, and he himself was executed in the morning. The girl eventually saw the light and became a beauty of extraordinary beauty.

Fertility Festival

According to another legend, the history of Valentine's Day began in ancient pagan times. In order to increase the birth rate, people arranged an unusual celebration of eroticism and fertility. It was held in ancient Rome and was called the Lupercalia festival in honor of the fertility god Luperka (Faun). On February 14, the girls wrote down their names on paper and put them in a common basket. Then the guys, relying on their lucky chance, took out a note at random with the name of their future chosen one for the whole next year. And on February 15, a noisy crowd of naked men and young priests had to run around the sacred hills and whip everyone who gets in their way with belts. Women were especially willing to expose themselves to goat-skin rods, as they believed that this rite would certainly bring them fertility.

Where and how did valentines appear

The Lupercalia feast soon died out, but a similar tradition eventually revived in England. In the Middle Ages, young girls and boys chose their life partner in a similar way. They wrote notes to each other with names, and a relationship was born between the matched couples.

And so this romantic custom appeared, to exchange love confessions and notes. The peak of the popularity of valentines falls on the 18th century, when people gave each other home-made colorful cards with tender poems.

How Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world

In all countries, Valentine's Day is perceived differently, respectively, and it is not celebrated in the same way everywhere. But one thing remains unchanged, all lovers, regardless of their location, consider him truly theirs.

Rome is the origin of Valentine's Day. All Italians on February 14 tend to come to Verona and kiss the statue of the famous Juliet. It is believed that in this way a person becomes more successful in love. In Italy, Valentine's Day belongs only to lovers. Italians do not skimp on gifts on this day and present expensive jewelry with diamonds to their ladies. It is also traditional for Italians to give each other candies with hazelnuts on this day, each of which contains a declaration of love in four languages of the world.

France is called the country of love and freedom for a reason. Indeed, on Valentine's Day, it is customary here to make a marriage proposal to your beloved! It is considered a great happiness to receive a box with a treasured ring from your chosen one on this day. The French also organize large-scale festivities on February 14, called "Une Loteried Amour", which in translation sounds like: "Drawing of love." Each participant of the holiday, regardless of whether it is a man or a woman, what age he is and what country he is from, must approach any open window and shout out the phrase: “Become my Valentine!”. Statistics say that alliances formed on this very day become very strong and durable afterwards.

In the UK, all the inhabitants of the country love this holiday so much that they send romantic cards not only to their soul mates, but also to all friends, relatives and even their beloved pets.

If you have been unsuccessfully dreaming of getting married for a long time, feel free to go to Canada! After all, only there, a girl who confessed her tender feelings to any man on February 14, in any case, will receive a positive response. Otherwise, a substantial fine is imposed on the man, which should be enough for a shopping therapy for the young lady after the refusal.

Americans celebrate Valentine's Day in a special way. A month before the holiday, tables are booked in restaurants, crazy romantic surprises are invented. Marzipans are considered a traditional gift in America for Valentine's Day.

For Russia, this holiday is quite young, because it appeared with us only in the early nineties. But this did not prevent him from gaining wild popularity among the Russian people and will fall in love with everyone. After all, even at school, children willingly exchange cards and confessions on February 14th.

Traditions and signs of Valentine's Day

It is customary not to sign a valentine and even try to change the handwriting so that the loved one himself guesses from whom he received the message.
Since ancient times, there has been a belief that the first person you meet along the way on this day is the one who is destined for you by fate.
The couple should spend Valentine's Day together, you can't quarrel, and swear even because of the little things. Because it can lead to a breakup in the future.
Happy hours are not observed, so if you are in love, forget about the hours on this day and enjoy the wonderful moments spent together.
A traditional gift for Valentine's Day are paired items. It can be anything: figurines, mugs, pendants, etc. The main thing is that half of the gift is always kept with you and not passed on to anyone, so your couple will always be strong.
There are some signs that on a normal day would make us very upset, but on February 14 they bring only happiness! If you broke a mirror on Valentine's Day, do not be discouraged, this means that you will have a happy and strong family life. And if you forgot something when leaving home, expect some good news from your loved ones. Also, if on this day, your loved one turns out to be the first guest, then the whole next year you will be inseparable from this person.
There are signs that do not carry anything good. For example, tripping on Valentine's Day can lead to separation from a loved one. To prevent this from happening, stomp several times in the place where you stumbled. Also on this day you can not lose personal belongings, so as not to lose a loved one. Be sure to try to find the lost item.

Do not forget that the most important gift is always attention, love and care. So it doesn't really matter what you present to your loved one on Valentine's Day, the main thing is sincerity and mutual feelings. Then you will never be able to separate some minor signs.

In mid-February, when lady winter has not yet ceded her rights to the beautiful spring, there is a day on which hearts thaw and brighten in the souls of people in love. This holiday - Valentine's Day - has always been one of the most long-awaited, loved, and criticized at the same time. NameWoman will tell you more about him: what did Saint Valentine do to become the patron saint of all hearts in love?

Valentine's Day in different eras and religions

The story of where such a popular Valentine's Day came from, NameWoman will begin with its essence at the very beginning of the era. After all, even the Pagans celebrated February 14, but how the day of the victory of Spring over Winter, Light over Darkness . On this day, the god Vali was revered - the god of rebirth and fertility. Marriages entered into on this day were considered successful, as well as vows made on February 14 promised to be inviolable. It was customary to exchange gifts and declare love.

In ancient Rome, the holiday was shifted one day forward and was celebrated on February 15th. It was called Lupercalium and was held in honor of the patron saint of fields, pastures and forests - Luperka . This holiday was not complete without a beautiful ritual. Young girls put their notes in urns, from which men took them out. Such a “happy lottery” determined who and whom should be courted for the holiday ... As a rule, these courtship ended quite happily for themselves - with a wedding.

True, the girls had to suffer on this day. According to one of the traditions, in order for a girl to be able to give birth to healthy children, it was necessary to properly whip her with a whip.

In the Middle Ages, it was believed that it was in mid-February that birds form their families. In honor of this, the now familiar Valentine's Day was called " Bird Wedding ».

In Russia, Valentine's Day was celebrated at the beginning of summer and was dedicated to Ivan Kupala . Its "basis" was the love story of Peter and Fevronia. By the way, in order to popularize a more "native" holiday regarding the overseas St. Valentine's Day, the Federation Council of Russia approved July 8 as the day of memory of Peter and Fevronia. Now this day is known to Russians as the "Day of conjugal love and family happiness."

Valentine's Day or why love is blind

There are several stories about who Saint Valentine is and why, in fact, he is a Saint. Each of the legends is beautiful and tragic in its own way.

According to the first legend, in ancient Rome in the spring, the doctor Valentine was imprisoned for adherence to Christianity. The children whom he once treated or whom he simply treated well, resorted to the prison window and threw notes to the young doctor with wishes for freedom and gratitude (this, by the way, was one of the first valentines). The guard, who was a tough man, softened at the sight of naive childish wishes, and did not drive the children away from the cell.

The overseer's daughter was blind from birth. What motivated him when he brought Valentine to her is hard to say, because for this act he could lose not only his post, but also his own head. However, Valentine miraculously managed to restore the sight of the unfortunate girl. A spark of love immediately flared up in the hearts of young people, but a sad end awaited their feelings. Valentine was sentenced to death, and this sentence was not appealed. It is known that before his death, a desperate Valentine left his beloved a tender farewell letter. Since then, there has been a custom to exchange Valentine cards on Valentine's Day.

There is another legend in which the main character Valentine is a bishop who secretly crowns lovers, despite a ban from the state. One day he is taken into custody and sentenced to death. In prison, the overseer's daughter Yulia falls in love with him, who looked after him throughout his imprisonment. But Valentine is a priest who took a vow of celibacy, so he cannot answer her feelings. Before his death, he leaves a letter to a young girl, in which he confesses his love.

Another legend says that Julia was blind. Her father asks Valentine for help. The priest says that the ointment will help, but it does not return the girl's sight. Before the execution, Valentine leaves a letter for Julia, where he asks to adhere to the Christian faith, in which he puts saffron (or, according to another legend, a yellow crocus). The girl so wants to see what her lover wrote to her that her sight returns to her. On the grave of St. Valentine, she plants an almond tree - a symbol of fidelity and love.

According to various sources, the bishop is executed on February 13 or 14. February 14 is the day of veneration of Juno, the goddess of love, therefore for all lovers this day is doubly symbolic .

Of course, there are other versions of the legend of St. Valentine. But NameWoman tells the ones from which it will become clear to anyone why the lovers made him their patron.

What did you get for Valentine's Day?

One of the first valentines dates back to the 14th century. She was sent, however, under rather gloomy circumstances - from the prison where the Duke of Orleans was imprisoned. This Valentine is kept in the British Museum until now.

It is noteworthy that giving gifts on Valentine's Day began already in the 17th century.

Now young people are often frightened of this holiday and in a panic they browse the Internet, call their friends, consult and think about what to give their girlfriend? This problem has tormented young people from time immemorial, therefore, at the end of the 18th century in England, for young people who were left with inspiration, a much-needed "Guide for a young man to write valentines" was published. And the “apple of love” was considered an original gift (although already among the French). Such a romantic name hides the usual ... tomato. The French were convinced that tomatoes spoke the language of love. Here is another curious reference to the fact that many inexperienced girls and boys try it on tomatoes ...

Now finding a gift for Valentine's Day is no less difficult than before, eyes often run wide from all sorts of bright and interesting offers. Some of the men are limited to a gentleman's set - a postcard, a flower and chocolate, and someone in advance applies almost to an agency organizing off-site banquets, and prepares a grand surprise for a romantic date. The girls, in their turn, study new men's fragrances or discover new culinary talents... NameWoman advises everyone who is considering a gift to be guided by their own emotions and sincerity, and not by the pursuit of high cost and pathos. The best gift is love!

Ekaterina Snetkova

1 Where did Valentine's Day come from?

The “culprit” of the holiday is considered to be the Christian priest Valentine, who lived around the year 269. At this time, the Roman Empire was ruled by Claudius II. The emperor believed that marriages are evil, because a married legionnaire thinks about the family, and not about the empire. By special decree, Claudius forbade the legionnaires from marrying. But Valentine began to secretly marry them. The emperor, having learned about this, ordered the execution of the "violator".

Later, as a Christian martyr, Valentine was canonized by the Catholic Church. And in 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 to be Saint Valentine's Day. Since 1969, a reform was carried out in worship, and St. Valentine was removed from the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, along with other Roman saints, information about whose life is contradictory and unreliable.

Legend has it that Valentine himself was in love with the jailer's daughter. The day before the execution, the priest wrote a farewell letter to the girl, where he spoke about his love, and signed it “Your Valentine”. Probably from there it was customary to write love notes on Valentine's Day - “valentines”. The girl read the letter after he was executed.

The creation of the first "valentine" is also attributed to the Duke of Orleans in 1415. He sat in a dungeon and, struggling with boredom, composed love letters to his wife. The greatest distribution of "valentines" reached already in the XVIII century, then they took the form of beautiful postcards in the shape of a heart.

3 Who to congratulate on Valentine's Day

Despite the fact that this is the holiday of lovers, recently there has been a fashion to congratulate everyone for whom you have all sorts of love - friends, girlfriends, colleagues, parents. However, initially this day was intended specifically for lovers, therefore, first of all, only life partners need to be congratulated.

On Valentine's Day in 2018, do not forget to congratulate Valentine and Valentinov. After all, on February 14 they will celebrate their name day.

4 Where and how is Valentine's Day celebrated?

In Europe (Great Britain, Denmark, France), Valentine's Day has been celebrated since the 12th century. In Russia and the CIS countries, the holiday has been celebrated since the early 1990s, when European culture began to penetrate the country.

The day of February 14 in England and Scotland was accompanied by a peculiar custom. On the eve of the holiday, young people gathered and put tickets in the urn with the names of young girls written on them. Then each took out one ticket. The girl, whose name went to the young man, became his “Valentina” for the coming year. This meant that for a year relationships arose between young people, similar to those that, according to the descriptions of medieval novels, arose between a knight and his “lady of the heart”.

5 Are there any holidays in the world similar to Valentine's Day?

Russia. The ancient Russian holiday of all lovers is celebrated on June 8 - the Day of Peter and Fevronia. Prince Peter of Murom and the daughter of a commoner Fevronia went through all the trials of life to their happiness. At the end of their lives, Peter and Fevronia went to the monastery and died on the same day.

China. The Qixi Festival is celebrated in August. It is based on a beautiful legend about a heavenly Weaver who wove clouds and a simple earthly Shepherd. The heavenly forces were against their love, and when the Shepherd flew to heaven for his beloved, they were forever separated by a river, since then they meet only once a year on a bridge across this river. Qixijie is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar Chinese calendar.

India. In late March - early April, Gangaur is celebrated. It begins the day after the festival of colors Holi and lasts 18 days. This is a story about the love of the god Shiva and his chosen bride Parvati, who made a vow to marry only Shiva and strictly observed it until the wedding. Women these days offer prayers for a successful marriage.

Israel. Tu B'Av is celebrated in July-August. It is believed that at this time, on Av 15, the unification of the people began: the elders of the 12 tribes of the Jacob family, each of which had previously lived apart, agreed to allow mixed marriages. On this day, the grape harvest began, and the girls in the vineyards were looking for suitors.

Ireland. On May 1, Beltane is celebrated here. This is a pagan holiday, so the program includes bonfires and jumping over them, night walks in the forests and hills, decorating trees in the forest, drinking wine and, as a result, searching for love. The holiday has been celebrated since the early Middle Ages in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is based on the legend of the love of the gods, in whose honor they burn bonfires.

Spain. Sant Jordi is celebrated on April 23 by the Catalans. It's Book Day, Rose Day and Valentine's Day at the same time. Giving books on this day was invented in the 20th century, since it was on this day that William Shakespeare and Miguel Cervantes died. In Barcelona, roses and books are sold on every corner, couples are walking around with these items.