Celebration & Tradition: Valentine’s Day, reality, legend and popularity around the world & in Cambodia

On 14 February, Cambodia will celebrate the Valentine’s Day, also known as the ‘Fête des Amoureux’ in French.

For most couples, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. It’s a day when people offer a rose, a piece of jewelry or any other gift to prove their love for their loved one. It’s also a celebration increasingly celebrated in restaurants, over a romantic dinner. It is celebrated all over the world, in Asia and of course in Cambodia.

Origins

The historical figure behind Lovers’ Day, Valentine of Terni, lived in the 3rd century AD and worked as a clandestine priest, illegally blessing marriages. It led to his imprisonment under the reign of Emperor Claudius II. He was executed by beheading in 272, although the exact date of his death is uncertain. However, it is known that it was on 14 February.

At the same time, the Romans celebrated Lupercus, the god of fertility, on 15 February. These pagan festivals, known as Lupercalia, featured animal sacrifices and dances in which half-naked men whipped women’s bellies, symbolizing their fertility. These customs were considered licentious but were tolerated by the early Christians.

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