Love image collection for making online photo-mosaics, especially for 2019 Valentine's day

Who was Saint Valentine?

• The Emperor Claudius II "The Gauthique", also known as Claudius the cruel, ruled Rome in the third century BC.

• The Christians of that time was growing but still dominated by the Roman gods. Christians were often persecuted.
  It was also a time of war and the soldiers did not necessarily want to go and get slaughtered.
  Claudius II decided to prohibit marriage to limit family ties soldiers.

• Father Valentinus was a virtuous Christian priest and his reputation growing, many people converted to Catholicism
  More, he disobeys the order of Claudius II by continuing to bless marriages.
  Short, he was promptly arrested and imprisoned.

• During his trial, he continued to highlight the goodness of God and his son Jesus Christ and consider the gods Mercury and Jupiter, as despicable.
  Although Claudius II was captivated by the quality of his speeches and his God, his position of Emperor obliged him to get Valentinus back to prison, under the responsibility of the judge Asterius to punish him.

• Asterius wanted to know more about the power of his God. He showed his daughter, born blind and asked Valentinus to regain sight to her.
  After applying his hands over his eyes and prayed, the girl would become spontaneously clairvoyant.
  Convinced and full of joy, Asterius released all imprisoned Christians and have converted his entire family to Christianity.

• When the Emperor has been informed, and worried to see his empire fully converted, he arrested Asterius, his family, all released Christians and Sentenced them to death.
  As the Father Valentinus, he was extensively tortured, his bones broken.
  He was beheaded on the Via Flaminia in the year 268, February 14.

• Valentin was mentioned as "Illustrious martyr" in many religious writings, such as the Roman Missal Tommasi and the Sacramentary of St. Gregory.
  He was canonized in 1496 Valentine by Pope Alexander VI.

The Lupercalia festival

• That was the Roman festival of fertility, dedicated to Lupercus and Juno.
  Juno was the patron goddess of women and marriage.

• The festival was characterized by the Luperci Run.
  Women were prosecuted by half-naked men who beat them with strips of goat skin for promise them fertility and happy pregnancy.
  There was also a lottery of names of girls and boys to train couples for the rest of the year.

• Little appreciated by the Catholic Church became dominant, it was decreed by Pope Gelasius 1, about the year 498, to celebrate instead the Martyr Valentine also because he had kept the wedding celebration despite ban of Claudius II.

Autres origines

• In the fourteenth century, in Great Britain and France, it was said that the birds begin to mate from February 14th.

• The girls watched birds in the sky.
  The sight of a sparrow presaged a wedding in the year, but with a man with little money.
  A robin, a marriage to a sailor.
  A goldfinch, a marriage with a wealthy man.

• Men also benefit for declare their love.

• This day was called the "Lovers Day", associated with Saint Valentine became the Patron lovers, girls and boys to marry.

Doubts persist about the real Valentin

• The lack of official documents casts doubt on the real origins. There existed other Valentin that may be associated with the lover's day:
  - Valentine, bishop of Terni, was also known for his virtue and miracles he performed. This does not prevent him from being beheaded in 273, February 14.
  - February 14 is also marked by the death of Valentin martyr of Africa.

• Well, anyway, this confirms that February 14 is the day of Valentine's Day ...

The evolution of the festival

• It is noteworthy that in ancient Greece, long before Valentinus, the month of February was associated with love and fertility.
  In the calendar of ancient Athens, the period from mid-January to mid-February is the month of Gamelion calendar of Athens, dedicaced to the marriage of Zeus and Hera.

• In the Middle Ages, February 14, the girls called their lover "Valentine".

• Otto III Grandson lord, military and poet lived in 14th century in the canton of Vaud. It was the first to write poems dedicated to Saint Valentine:
  "The Rime of St Valentine", "Valentine's Dream", "The Desire to St Valentine".

• In 1415, the Duke of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of London, February 14 sent a love poem to his wife.
  This letter is preserved in the Museum of London.

• From the 18th century, love letter was sent, called Valentines, to his beloved.
  Under the Victorian era, they had reached a high level of decoration and sophistication. They have been industrialized in United States from the beginning twentieth century.

• Today, the eCard is now almost inevitable and a great way for publishers to get an impressive list of email addresses wich will be quickly resold and spammed ...

Valentine's Day around the world:

• In China, it is celebrated from the last thirty years, especially by young people and is a consequence of the large scale production of goods for export.
  More traditionally, Chinese people celebrate love, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, Qi Qiao Jie, descended from an ancient legend.
  This legend tells the story of a fairy who marries a mortal, despite the refusal of his mother, who forced him to return to heaven. The couple was separated by an infinite river, the Milky Way.
  Magpies, convinced of the sincerity of their love, form annually a bridge across the Milky Way to help the couple to meet.

• In Japan, this day, women must offer fine chocolates to their lovers. This applies also for office women workers to their male colleagues. These chocolates are called GITI choko, which translates to "the obligation of Chocolates".
  Fortunately, there is a part cons. A month later, March 14 (known as White Day), men give a white cloth, or other gift, provided he is white. The woman may require a gift 3 times more expensive than the chocolate she offered.
  This practice was taken to Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea.
  Japan also celebrates the feast Chinese Qi Qiao Jie, called the star festival or "Tanabata". Lovers separated by the Milky Way are Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair). The streets are decorated with lanterns and huge flames of paper carried by bamboos.

• India, Pakistan and Algeria, the custom is trying to grow despite strong resistance due to its Western origins.

• Brazil does not celebrate Valentine's Day, but the Day of Lovers (dia dos namorados), June 12
  For Colombia, it happens the 3rd Saturday of September and called the day of love and friendship (día del amor y amistad)

• In English speaking countries and the United States is also the feast of friendship. Students offer some friendly maps and adults chocolates or small gifts.
  Like the best resolutions in the new year, couples agree to decisions to maintain (or improve) the quality of their relational lives.

• In Europe, there is virtually no religious celebration. Valentine's Day is just like Christmas, has become a festival primarily commercial, with some exceptions:
  - Germany commemorates Valentine Raetian, who is the patron of epileptics.
  - Italian lovers offer Baci Perugini. The chocolates are wrapped within a love message.
  - In Austria, Sankt Valentin is an opportunity for lovers to parade in the streets.
  - And in France, the national holiday of love is celebrated in a small village of the Indre department called ... "Saint Valentin".