バレンタインデーとは
バレンタインデー あるいはセントバレンタインズデー（St. Valentine's Day）は、2月14日に祝われ、世界各地で男女の愛の誓いの日とされる。もともと、269年にローマ皇帝の迫害下で殉教した聖ウァレンティヌス（テルニのバレンタイン）に由来する記念日であるとされているが、これは主に西方教会の広がる地域における伝承である。聖ウァレンティヌスを崇敬する正教会の広がる地域では、西欧文化の影響を受けるまでこのような習慣はなかった。
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's
Day,[1][2][3] is an annual
commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and
affection between intimate companions.[1][3] The day is named
after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint
Valentine, and was established by Pope
Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the Roman
calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI.
It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by
presenting flowers, offering confectionery,
and sending greeting
cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with
romantic love in the
circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of
the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten
valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[4]