The
carnival is related in its origin with the harvests, the fertility of the land
and the need for good weather for cultivation.
The
first vestiges of carnival are found in Egyptian culture. The whole town put on
masks and gathered around a bonfire; They danced and asked for good luck for
the crops, although it is also believed to be a way to drive away evil spirits.
In
Venice, this festival was very popular because it allowed costumed nobles to
mingle with ordinary people.
In
Spain, the carnival party was prohibited during the reign of Carlos I, his son
Felipe II and continued until Felipe III. It was Felipe IV who allowed the
carnivals to be celebrated again.
The
carnival goes before Ash Wednesday. This year it falls on February 18, so Shrove
Tuesday is February 17 and the party is held the weekend before. This year the
carnival and Valentine's Day coincide.
Who was
Valentine?
Saint
Valentine was a Roman Catholic priest who was also a physician and lived in
Italy during the 3rd century AD.
Saint
Valentine became famous because he secretly celebrated marriages, since many
couples were in love and could not legally marry in Rome because Emperor
Claudius II prohibited it.
The Roman
emperor wanted to recruit many men to form an army, and he thought that
marriage would be an obstacle to their training as soldiers. For that reason he
forbade them to marry.
Upon
learning that Valentine was secretly celebrating weddings, he ordered his
arrest and sentenced him to death.
During his
capture, Valentine befriended his jailer, Asterious, who was so impressed with
the priest's that he asked her to help his daughter Julia with her lessons. She
was blind and needed someone to read her books for her to learn.
The Emperor
Claudius also grew to love him, and even offered to forgive him if he renounced
his Christian faith and agreed to worship the Roman gods.
Valentine
not only refused to give up his faith, but also invited the emperor to trust
Christ. This infuriated the president so much that he sentenced him to death.
Before the
punishment was served, the saint wrote one last note to Julia, encouraging her
to stay close to Jesus and also to thank him for being her friend. At the end
of the note he signed: "From your Valentine." This was what inspired
people to start writing love letters.
The priest
was executed on the Via Flaminiana, where later Pope John Paul the First
(523-526) requested that a temple be erected under his invocation and of which
most of his relics are still preserved in the church of Santa Praxedes.
Prior to this event, in 496, Pope Gelasius designated
February 14 as the official Valentine's Day.
February 14 is the Day of Love and Friendship. Some
also call this date as Valentine's Day.
In the Catholic saints' calendar, 14 February is celebrated as St. Valentine's Day, which is why this saint is known as the saint of lovers
