The origin of Valentine's Day was never entirely clear. Many believe it was the brainchild of a supermarket, which decided on Feb. 14 that it was a good day for lovers to give each other gifts. However, the origin of this holiday goes back much further: to ancient Rome. This may be the beginning of the celebration of love: the Roman festivals that took place during that time.
St. Valentine was born in the 3rd century at the height of the spread of Christianity in Rome. At that time, explains National Geographic, Claudius II the Gothic was in power. He decided to implement a law prohibiting young men from marrying. He claimed at the time that young men who married before joining the army did not perform well enough, so he decided to ban it outright. However, a doctor and priest named Valentine disagreed with the decision. For this reason, he began to secretly marry young couples in love. By making that decision, the magazine explains, he was able to convert many to Christianity.
However, Valentine was discovered, and he was arrested and locked in a dungeon. There, according to Infobae, he performed the miracle for which he would be sanctified. The officer in charge of his custody challenged him to restore sight to his daughter Julia who had been born blind. Valentine accepted the challenge and managed to make the child see. Upon achieving this, he also converted Julia's entire family to Christianity. However, the miracle did not save his life: on Feb. 14, 269, he was stoned and later beheaded.
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Nowadays, every Feb. 14, the day of love is celebrated. The festival, however, does not appear in the Catholic calendar. It was eliminated during the Second Vatican Council, according to National Geographic, as there were doubts about the pagan origin of the holiday. In the 20th century, Valentine's Day returned, and Feb. 14 was once again the day of love. Since then, the celebration has appeared in a multitude of audiovisual products. These are our recommendations, both on the big and small screen, to celebrate Valentine's Day:
'Modern Love' (available on Prime Video)
Amazon Prime Video premiered the series Modern Love in October 2019, starring Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey, Dev Patel and Ed Sheeran during its first season and Kit Harington, Tobias Menzies and Anna Paquin in the second, the series is based on the New York Times column of the same name. The show, which has 16 half-hour-long episodes, explores " love in its multitude of forms, including romantic love, family love, platonic love and, most importantly, self-love."
'This Is Us' (available on Hulu)
One of the most applauded series in recent years and winner of several Emmy Awards. The series tells the love story of Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimigglia). They are the undisputed stars of This Is Us, but the series also serves to reflect the love they both have for the rest of the family, especially their three children: Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown).
The show features six seasons showing different moments of their lives, from childhood to practically being elderly, as they face challenges such as finding love, creating a family and finding the job of their dreams.
'Bridgerton' (available on Netflix)
The period drama Bridgerton was one of the most watched series on Netflix during its premiere in 2020. It follows the Bridgerton siblings, members of a wealthy London family, as they find love. The first season tells the love story between Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Duke Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), while the second focuses on the romance between Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley).
The series' third season will focus on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). It is expected to continue on the platform until it has told the love story of all eight Bridgerton siblings. In addition, a spin-off centered on the love story of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) was confirmed to arrive in the coming months on Netflix.
'State of the Union' (available on Amazon Prime Video)
The British miniseries was quite a surprise in the 2019 slate. State of the Union arrived to prove that the spark of romance can be rekindled. It did so with a show that, with only ten episodes, followed a married couple as they attended couples therapy. However, the plot did not take place during therapy, but right after.
The miniseries, which is available on Amazon Prime Video, centers its story in a pub. It is the bar where Louise (Rosamund Pike) and Tom (Chris O'Dowd) went after their weekly session and where we, the viewers, discover how their lives are now, what brought them together and what was the reason why, finally, they seem to grow apart.
The series also has a second season. Premiered in February 2022, the second installment recast the characters played by Rosamund Pike and Chris O'Dowd. Thus, Ellen (Patricia Clarkson), Scott (Brendan Gleeson) and Jay (Esco Jouley) became the new main cast of State of the Union.
'In Love All Over Again' (available on Netflix)
Netflix is aware of the power that Valentine's Day has in the market and, for that reason, it always keeps a premiere up its sleeve for the holiday. In 2023, the series chosen for this premiere by the streaming platform is In Love All Over Again (Todas las veces que nos enamoramos, in Spanish). The eight-episode series follows Irene (Georgina Amorós) and Julio (Franco Masini), two teenagers destined to be together:
In Love All Over Again will recount all the times the couple meet and separate again while teasing the viewer with the idea of whether or not they will finally end up together. The youth series is the brainchild of Élite creator Carlos Moreno and features Spanish actors Carlos González, Blanca Martínez and Roser Vilajosana.
'The Wedding Planner' (available on Paramount Plus)
For nostalgic types there is The Wedding Planner, a 2001 film starring Jennifer Lopez, now available on Paramount Plus. The feature film introduces us to Mary Fiore (Lopez), San Francisco's most renowned wedding planner. She closes a contract with internet entrepreneur Fran Donolly (Bridgette Wilson). After leaving the meeting, she is almost run over by a fleeing truck driver. Fortunately, she is rescued by Dr. Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey). She believes that with him she found love. Soon after, however, she discovers that he is Fran's fiancé. In addition, she must organize the dream wedding for both of them while struggling with her own feelings.
'The Perfect Date' (available on Netflix)
Netflix released the feature film The Perfect Date in 2019, a movie starring several young actors such as Noah Centineo, Laura Marano and the Hispanic Camila Mendes.
The 90-minute film follows Brooks Rattigan (Centineo). He needs money to be able to go to college and decides to create a dating app where he offers his services as a "fake boyfriend." One of his clients is Celia (Marano). She will help Brooks fall in love with Shelby (Mendes), the girl of his dreams. However, as the two get to know each other, the feelings become more intense.
'Notting Hill' (available on Netflix)
Notting Hill is a true benchmark in the romantic genre. The 1999 film follows a famous actress, Ana Scott (Julia Roberts). She enters a bookstore in London's Notting Hill neighborhood owned by William Tracker (Hugh Grant). He falls in love with Ana as soon as he sees her and will do everything he can to make her fall for him. He must do all this while learning to live surrounded by flashbulbs, journalists and rumors. The film can be seen on Netflix and is one of the most typical feature films to watch on Valentine's Day.
'Love Actually' (available on Amazon Prime Video)
Love Actually is another classic to celebrate Valentine's Day. The movie is available on Amazon Prime Video. Released in 2003, the film stars actors such as Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley and Liam Neeson.
The plot is set in London just before Christmas and shows that love is everywhere. In this way, all the characters (including a prime minister, an old rock star and a Portuguese maid who only speaks her own language) will experience, in their own way, the funniest, saddest, most naïve and even stupidest aspects of love.
'Valentine's Day' (available on HBO Max)
After the big screen left the romantic genre somewhat aside, in 2010, Valentine's Day was released. The structure of the film, available at HBO Max is similar to Love Actually, telling ten different stories starring people who are somehow connected to each other.
Set in Los Angeles, the film is directed by Garry Marshal and stars Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Queen Latifah, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner and Carter Jenkins. Given its success, the film had two sequels: New Year's Eve (2011) and Mother's Day (2016), dedicated to telling stories that happened on New Year's Eve and Mother's Day, respectively.
