{"id":4387,"date":"2025-02-14T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/?p=4387"},"modified":"2025-01-28T14:05:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T14:05:53","slug":"a-history-of-valentines-day-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/","title":{"rendered":"A History of Valentine’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

A History of Valentine’s Day<\/h1>\n

\u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia: A Fascinating Journey through the History of Valentine’s Day \u200d<\/p>\n

Valentine’s Day, a day filled with love, romance, and heartfelt gestures. But have you ever wondered about the origins and true history of this beloved holiday?<\/p>\n

Origins of Valentine’s Day: Lupercalia and Ancient Roman Traditions<\/h3>\n

To understand Valentine\u2019s Day, we must look back to ancient Rome and the festival of Lupercalia. Held on the ides of February, this lively event honored Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. It featured feasting, dancing, and a unique matchmaking ritual. Young men would draw women\u2019s names from a jar, forming pairs for the festival. These matches often sparked lasting relationships and even marriages.<\/p>\n

So, how does St. Valentine fit in? The connection likely began when the early Christian church sought to replace pagan traditions. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th as St. Valentine\u2019s Day, commemorating a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage by secretly performing weddings. Over time, St. Valentine\u2019s story merged with the celebration of love, giving the holiday its romantic roots.<\/p>\n

The Legend of St. Valentine: The Story Behind the Holiday<\/h3>\n

The true history of St. Valentine is clouded by mystery, with multiple legends surrounding his life. One popular tale describes him as a kind man who, while imprisoned, healed the blind daughter of his jailer. Before his execution, he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine,” inspiring the tradition of love notes.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, St. Valentine is also the patron saint of epilepsy<\/a>. Although the details of his life remain unclear, his legend has deeply influenced the Valentine\u2019s Day we celebrate today. Read more on this through Librarysearch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, it is important to note that the true history of St. Valentine is still a subject of debate among historians, and the details of his life may forever remain elusive. Nevertheless, the legend of St. Valentine has played a significant role in shaping the holiday we know and cherish today.<\/p>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day Cards<\/h3>\n

Valentine\u2019s cards, or \u201cvalentines,\u201d have been a key part of the holiday since the 15th century. In Europe, people exchanged handwritten love notes adorned with lace, ribbons, and even locks of hair. These intricate cards symbolized love and admiration.<\/p>\n

The printing press made valentines more accessible. By the 19th century, mass-produced cards with elaborate designs and sentimental verses became popular. These cards helped spread the romantic spirit of Valentine\u2019s Day to people from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

The Commercialization of Valentine\u2019s Day<\/h3>\n

In the 20th century, Valentine\u2019s Day shifted from a simple celebration to a commercial phenomenon. With advancements in technology and a growing consumer culture, retailers saw an opportunity. Soon, chocolates, flowers, jewelry, and extravagant gifts dominated the holiday.<\/p>\n

Movies, songs, and advertisements amplified the idea of grand romantic gestures. Today, Valentine\u2019s Day is a multi-billion dollar industry, celebrated with everything from romantic dinners to heartfelt gift exchanges.<\/p>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day Traditions Around the World<\/h3>\n

Although Valentine\u2019s Day is celebrated worldwide, traditions vary by culture. In Japan, women give chocolates to men on February 14th, with men reciprocating a month later on “White Day.” In Finland, the holiday focuses on friendship, known as “Friendship Day.”<\/p>\n

South Korea extends the celebration further. February 14th is for women to give chocolates, March 14th (White Day) is for men to return gifts, and April 14th (Black Day) is for singles to gather and celebrate. These customs show that love, in all forms, transcends cultural boundaries.<\/p>\n

Share the Love<\/h3>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day isn\u2019t just for couples. It\u2019s a chance to celebrate anyone special\u2014family, friends, or even yourself. Whether you embrace its commercial aspects or prefer a more personal touch, the day reminds us to show love and appreciation to those who matter most.<\/p>\n

For me, celebrating Galentine\u2019s Day with my friends is always a highlight! How will you celebrate this year?<\/p>\n

Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Want to deep dive into all things romance? Why not check out an entire Journal dedicated to the subject: The Journal of Romance Studies.<\/a> Alternatively, get comfy on the sofa with a wealth of romantic movies all freely available through Box of Broadcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By Juliet Kinsey<\/p>\n

Read about how wonderful your Library is here on the blog with our posts on “love your Library<\/a>”<\/p>\n

Image Source: Image by\u00a0Ylanite Koppens<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A History of Valentine’s Day \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia: A Fascinating Journey through the History of Valentine’s Day \u200d Valentine’s Day, a day filled with love, romance, and heartfelt gestures. But have you ever wondered about the origins and true history of this beloved holiday? Origins of Valentine’s Day: Lupercalia and Ancient Roman Traditions To […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":3851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[350,184],"tags":[904,906,265,309,903,907,905,337],"class_list":["post-4387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrations","category-history","tag-ancient-roman-traditions","tag-history-of-valentines-day","tag-holidays","tag-love","tag-lupercalia","tag-romance","tag-st-valentine","tag-valentines-day","post-preview"],"yoast_head":"\nA History of Valentine's Day - The Library Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A dive into A History of Valentine's Day: \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia. From ancient Rome to modern day.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A History of Valentine's Day - The Library Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A dive into A History of Valentine's Day: \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia. From ancient Rome to modern day.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Library Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-14T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"426\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"julietkinsey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ednaplib\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ednaplib\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"julietkinsey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"julietkinsey\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c165661292d592acfc39833114ff2088\"},\"headline\":\"A History of Valentine’s Day\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-14T09:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":741,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/83\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"ancient Roman traditions\",\"History of Valentine's Day \u200d\",\"Holidays\",\"Love\",\"Lupercalia\",\"Romance\",\"St. Valentine\",\"Valentines Day\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Celebrations\",\"History\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"A History of Valentine's Day - The Library Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/83\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-14T09:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"A dive into A History of Valentine's Day: \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia. From ancient Rome to modern day.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/83\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/83\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1\",\"width\":640,\"height\":426,\"caption\":\"Picture of scrabble squares saying love for blog post A History of Valentine's Day\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/14\\\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A History of Valentine’s Day\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Library Blog\",\"description\":\"Edinburgh Napier University Library blog. Filled with useful and fun blog articles on using the Library, the University, Edinburgh and many other fun topics.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Edinburgh Napier University Library\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/83\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/Untitled-design.png?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/83\\\/2021\\\/05\\\/Untitled-design.png?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500,\"caption\":\"Edinburgh Napier University Library\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ednaplib\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/enu_library\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c165661292d592acfc39833114ff2088\",\"name\":\"julietkinsey\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c753c87c2f36f0d36dcdc58396b77d3ce9108debd43f1a0620b2b7cf61548687?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c753c87c2f36f0d36dcdc58396b77d3ce9108debd43f1a0620b2b7cf61548687?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/c753c87c2f36f0d36dcdc58396b77d3ce9108debd43f1a0620b2b7cf61548687?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"julietkinsey\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\\\/library\\\/author\\\/julietkinsey\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A History of Valentine's Day - The Library Blog","description":"A dive into A History of Valentine's Day: \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia. From ancient Rome to modern day.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"A History of Valentine's Day - The Library Blog","og_description":"A dive into A History of Valentine's Day: \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia. From ancient Rome to modern day.","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/","og_site_name":"The Library Blog","article_published_time":"2025-02-14T09:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":426,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"julietkinsey","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ednaplib","twitter_site":"@ednaplib","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"julietkinsey","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/"},"author":{"name":"julietkinsey","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#\/schema\/person\/c165661292d592acfc39833114ff2088"},"headline":"A History of Valentine’s Day","datePublished":"2025-02-14T09:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/"},"wordCount":741,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","keywords":["ancient Roman traditions","History of Valentine's Day \u200d","Holidays","Love","Lupercalia","Romance","St. Valentine","Valentines Day"],"articleSection":["Celebrations","History"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/","name":"A History of Valentine's Day - The Library Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","datePublished":"2025-02-14T09:00:00+00:00","description":"A dive into A History of Valentine's Day: \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia. From ancient Rome to modern day.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","width":640,"height":426,"caption":"Picture of scrabble squares saying love for blog post A History of Valentine's Day"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A History of Valentine’s Day"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#website","url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/","name":"The Library Blog","description":"Edinburgh Napier University Library blog. Filled with useful and fun blog articles on using the Library, the University, Edinburgh and many other fun topics.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#organization","name":"Edinburgh Napier University Library","url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2021\/05\/Untitled-design.png?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2021\/05\/Untitled-design.png?fit=500%2C500&ssl=1","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Edinburgh Napier University Library"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/ednaplib","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/enu_library\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/#\/schema\/person\/c165661292d592acfc39833114ff2088","name":"julietkinsey","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c753c87c2f36f0d36dcdc58396b77d3ce9108debd43f1a0620b2b7cf61548687?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c753c87c2f36f0d36dcdc58396b77d3ce9108debd43f1a0620b2b7cf61548687?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c753c87c2f36f0d36dcdc58396b77d3ce9108debd43f1a0620b2b7cf61548687?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"julietkinsey"},"url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/author\/julietkinsey\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3845,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2024\/02\/14\/a-history-of-valentines-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":4387,"position":0},"title":"A History of Valentine’s Day","author":"julietkinsey","date":"14\/02\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A History of Valentine's Day \u200dLove, Legends, and Lupercalia: A Fascinating Journey through the History of Valentine's Day \u200d Valentine's Day, a day filled with love, romance, and heartfelt gestures. But have you ever wondered about the origins and true history of this beloved holiday? Origins of Valentine's Day: Lupercalia\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrations"","block_context":{"text":"Celebrations","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/category\/celebrations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Picture of scrabble squares saying love for blog post A History of Valentine's Day","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/01\/love-3061483_640.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5086,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2026\/02\/14\/the-worlds-love-story-with-valentines-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":4387,"position":1},"title":"The world\u2019s love story with Valentine’s Day","author":"mayagreen","date":"14\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The world\u2019s love story with Valentine's Day Today is coming up rosy, literally. Happy Valentine's Day, readers. And while it may feel like just chocolate and flowers, there is a much deeper heart-shaped history that made Valentine's the holiday it is today. Valentines day dates all the way back to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Library Information"","block_context":{"text":"Library Information","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/category\/library-information\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Valentines Day","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/ed-robertson-UrF1Jf5PamQ-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/ed-robertson-UrF1Jf5PamQ-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C853&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/ed-robertson-UrF1Jf5PamQ-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C853&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3633,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2025\/10\/31\/a-history-of-halloween\/","url_meta":{"origin":4387,"position":2},"title":"A History of Halloween","author":"julietkinsey","date":"31\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A History of Halloween Are you sitting comfortably? If so, let me begin with a fascinating history of Halloween. People trace the origins of Halloween back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated around 2,000 years ago. This festival marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrations"","block_context":{"text":"Celebrations","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/category\/celebrations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"picture of carved pumpkins for post A History of Halloween","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2023\/10\/david-menidrey-MYRG0ptGh50-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2023\/10\/david-menidrey-MYRG0ptGh50-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2023\/10\/david-menidrey-MYRG0ptGh50-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3500,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2026\/04\/01\/ancient-pranks-to-modern-traditions-the-fascinating-history-of-april-fools-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":4387,"position":3},"title":"Ancient Pranks to Modern Traditions: The Fascinating History of April Fools’ Day","author":"julietkinsey","date":"01\/04\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ancient Pranks to Modern Traditions: The Fascinating History of April Fools' Day April Fools' Day, known for its playful pranks and practical jokes, has a long and intriguing history that stretches back centuries. So let's delve into the origins of April Fools' Day, explore ancient pranks and traditions, discover how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrations"","block_context":{"text":"Celebrations","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/category\/celebrations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ancient Pranks to Modern Traditions: The Fascinating History of April Fools' Day","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/04\/Untitled1.png?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/04\/Untitled1.png?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/04\/Untitled1.png?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/04\/Untitled1.png?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2024\/04\/Untitled1.png?fit=1200%2C795&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5112,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2026\/02\/14\/give-a-book-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":4387,"position":4},"title":"Give a Book Day","author":"mayagreen","date":"14\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Give a Book Day \u00a0 The Edinburgh Napier University Library Team would like to not only wish everyone a very happy Valentine\u2019s Day, but also a happy International Book Giving Day as well! Annually coinciding with Valentine\u2019s Day on the 14th of February every year, International Book Giving Day was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Library Information"","block_context":{"text":"Library Information","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/category\/library-information\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"love heart for books on give a book day","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/jo-anaya-ayV-FKf0Ml4-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/jo-anaya-ayV-FKf0Ml4-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2026\/02\/jo-anaya-ayV-FKf0Ml4-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3285,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/2023\/05\/01\/may-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":4387,"position":5},"title":"May Day","author":"mayagreen","date":"01\/05\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"May Day Ancient Europe May Day today, the start of Summer. Celebrations can date to the Ancient Romans and Celts. The ancient Celts celebrated the 1st of May with the festival of Beltane throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Island of Man. Beltane festival was marked with bonfires to symbolise the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebration Week"","block_context":{"text":"Celebration Week","link":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/category\/celebration-week\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cherry Blossom flowers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2023\/04\/kristine-tanne-_ttUcGgTWCY-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2023\/04\/kristine-tanne-_ttUcGgTWCY-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/83\/2023\/04\/kristine-tanne-_ttUcGgTWCY-unsplash.jpg?fit=640%2C960&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd3KWU-18L","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4387"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4388,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4387\/revisions\/4388"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.napier.ac.uk\/library\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}