FEBRUARY CELEBRATIONS

 

 

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