A wind of love and tenderness is blowing over EC Oxford. Today, February 14th, is Valentine’s Day. This is an opportunity to explore the history of this character, at the crossroads of Roman mythology and Christian tradition. A pagan celebration transformed into a Catholic one   Did you know that Valentine’s Day has not always been a lover’s day? Its origins remain rather unclear. Its meaning would have changed over the course of history. In the 3rd century, the Roman Emperor Claudius II, who had difficulty recruiting soldiers, considered that families could be the cause and decided to ban marriages. Nevertheless, the priest Valentine continued to celebrate the union of lovers. The sovereign, upon learning of this betrayal, sentenced Valentine to death. In prison, he still had time to fall madly in love with his guardian’s daughter, who was blind. Just before being beheaded, he restored her vision by slipping her a sweet note signed “Your Valentine”. It’s up to you to decide if the ending is a legend or not!   From the Middle Ages, the celebration of lovers became a custom In the Middle Ages, processions began to be organised to celebrate the day of the lovers. The young men who had to choose their riders for the processions were called the Valentines. Later, the “romantic” dimension of the celebration began to emerge by the end of the Middle Ages in England. The dreamy image of Valentine in love with the heart of his beautiful spreads through the delicate words of Captain Othon de Grandson, poet at the court of England. At the beginning of the 15th century, Charles d’Orléans, a captive of the English, also composed several ballads dedicated to love and Valentine’s Day, which spread throughout Europe. Pope Alexander VI, in 1496, gave the title … Read more