The History of Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Whether you’re celebrating today with a partner, friends, family, or just by yourself I hope you have a great day. Here’s a little article about the history of Valentine’s Day for you to enjoy.
Artist depiction of St. Valentine of Rome. Courtesy of A Catholic Life.
Origin
The origin of Valentine’s Day is a bit muddled between Catholic and Pagan traditions, but the general consensus is that its earliest roots sprout from the Roman festival of Lupercalia. This was a fertility festival that was held between the 13th-15th of every February. It was a holiday where people celebrated the coming of Spring, honored the Roman goddess of agriculture known as Faunus, and honored the she wolf that raised Romulus and Remus (the supposed founders of Rome). The festival was headed by a group of priests called Luperci. These men began the celebration by sacrificing a goat and a dog, then two of them would rest their heads on an altar and have the bloody knife wiped on their foreheads before having it wiped off by a piece of wool that had been dipped in milk. The two men were supposed to laugh while all this happened. A feast was held after this beginning ritual. Once that was over the Luperci would cut strips of skin from the sacrificed animals and run around, while half or fully naked, smacking women with them, any woman touched by the animal skin was supposed to be made fertile. Towards the start of the festival men and women were paired up through a lottery system and the couples would stay together for the duration of the event, or even longer depending on how well they matched. This was a popular festival that was celebrated in many parts of the Roman Empire and even persisted after its fall, but it is not the sole root of Valentine’s Day.
Artist depiction of Lupercalia. Public Domain.
There are three Christian martyrs recognized by the Catholic Church that had the name Valentine or Valentinus and no one is sure exactly which one the holiday is named after. Around the 3rd century the Catholic Church started celebrating St. Valentines Day to honor these martyred saints, and though it coincided with Lupercalia it was not originally meant to replace the festival. Originally it was a feast holiday where people would come together and toast the saints, it had nothing to do with romance like today.
Bust of Claudius II Gothicus. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Some believe that the holiday took its name from a priest who was martyred by Claudius II Gothicus in 270 C.E. Emperor Claudius believed that single men made better warriors than those who had a wife and kids, so he made it illegal for young men to marry. St. Valentine believed this was immoral and defied the order by marrying couples in secret, when the emperor found out about this he had the saint beheaded. This execution supposedly occurred around the middle of February. There was another St. Valentine who was a bishop in Terni during Claudius’ reign. It is said that after a night of fervent prayer the saint was able to heal a boy who was not able to speak or straighten his body. He also was successful in converting many Roman scholars to Christianity. When the emperor caught wind of these acts he had the man killed, also purportedly around the middle of February. Some historians claim that these first two saints were actually the same person, the stories just being different retellings.
Artist depiction of Saint Valentine healing the lame boy. Public Domain.
One of the more well known St. Valentine’s was a man who is said to have helped Christians escape Roman prisons where they were beaten and tortured. During his time in the prison he befriended the jailer's blind daughter, some accounts even claiming they were in love. One night while the two were talking he placed his hand over the girl's eyes and healed her blindness. He was sentenced to execution and just before he was killed sent a letter to the girl signing it “from your Valentine”.
There is even a fourth Saint Valentine, not officially recognized by the church, who died on February 14th in Africa along with 24 soldiers, however this is all that is known about him. Although it is unknown exactly which man is the inspiration for the holiday all of them share common themes of heroism and romance, and by the Middle Ages Valentine became one of the most popular saints across Europe. Towards the end of the 5th century Pope Gelasius I declared the Lupercalia festival illegal, replacing it with the St. Valentine’s Day feast in order to “Christianize” the pagan holiday. Around the same time the Normans, originating in France, celebrated a holiday called Galatin’s Day which translated to “lover of women”. Likely Galatin’s Day and Valentine’s Day became confused with each other as they sound similar, and possibly led Valentine’s Day to be seen as a romantic holiday.
Artist rendition of St. Valentine. Courtesy of Catholic Online.
Evolution
Valentine’s Day did not become a holiday known for romance until around the mid to late Middle Ages. The first poem that mentioned Valentine’s Day in a romantic context was “Parliament of Foules” published in 1375 by Geoffery Chaucer. The particular line in the poem saying “For this was on seynt Volantynys day/Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.” William Shakespeare also began romanticizing the holiday in his writings, which helped to spread the notion of a holiday for love across Europe. Valentines greetings became common during this period but written valentines did not appear until the 1400s, and still did not gain popularity until the 1500s. The oldest known valentine is a poem that Charles, the Duke of Orleans, wrote to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after being captured at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. In the poem he refers to her as his “very sweet valentine”. Commercially printed cards began popping up around the 1700s and became extremely popular. Printed valentines did not catch on in America until the mid-1800s when Esther A. Howland, commonly known as the “Mother of the Valentine” began mass producing valentines with lace and colorful pictures.
The original poem that the Duke or Orleans wrote to his wife. Courtesy of the BBC.
These cards traditionally had pictures of Cupid, the Roman god of love. Cupid was originally a mischievous god who played with the emotions of man, shooting golden arrows to cause love and leaden ones to sew discontent. It wasn’t until the Hellenistic age that he gained his chubby child-like reputation and became synonymous with love. Flowers, hearts and birds also adorned valentines cards. It was commonly believed that the mating season for birds occurred in mid-February so they became a symbol for Valentine’s Day, though that has fallen out of favor in our modern times. Part of the reason for the valentine’s popularity was because showing affection for someone in public was looked down upon and exchanging cards and greetings was an easy way for people to express their feelings for one another.
Artist rendition of Cupid. Courtesy of History.com.
Valentine’s Day advanced right along with technology, becoming a more involved holiday with the new innovations. Around 1900 the sending of valentines really took off as cheap postage enabled even the poorest of individuals to send them. Industrialization made products like chocolate, flowers, and even jewelry cheaper and easier to afford. All of which became common gifts for partners to exchange.
Some of the cards made by Esther A. Howland. Courtesy of Amazing Women in History/Wikimedia/Wikimedia/Stamping Madly/Metropolitan Museum of Art respectively.
Valentines in the Modern Day
Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on February 14th, and is romanticized more heavily than ever before. It is seen as a day for couples to show their love and appreciation for one another by spending time with each other, giving gifts, exchanging cards, and multiple other ways. Many couples even choose this day for their marriage. The day has become somewhat commercialized, just like many holidays, with several companies that specialize in making cards, candy, flower arrangements, portraits, and much more. It is estimated that 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent every year, making it the second largest card-sending holiday, Christmas being number one. Of course with this being the age of the internet there are even e-valentines cards that people can send.
Example of an e-valentines card. Courtesy of 123RF.
The holiday has expanded past romantic love too and has morphed into a day for friends and relatives to show appreciation for one another. It is even common for school children to exchange Valentine’s Day cards. In recent years a sort of replacement holiday called “Galentine’s Day” has sprung up. It involves women doing similar activities that they would with a partner, only with their close female friends instead so they can show their appreciation for one another.
Unfortunately with the good there also comes the bad. Every year the rates of suicide and murder spike around Valentine’s Day. Murders are usually due to jealousy or good intentions gone extremely wrong. As for suicide, Psychologists suggest that since Valentine’s Day is a day of love and connection it reminds those who may feel like they do not have either how alone they are. Fortunately there are organizations working to decrease these rates and more people are starting to go out of their way to ensure that those around them feel loved, which is what many who consider suicide feel that they are lacking.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or needs someone to talk to there is help available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit their website at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ where you can speak to trained coucilors who will talk with you and help you work through whatever problems you may be facing.
Courtesy of Amscan/The Home Depot.
Personal Thoughts
Sorry to end that on such a sad note but it is something I believe people need to be aware of and watch out for. I really didn’t know much about Valentine’s Day besides the St. Valentine so some of this surprised me, especially the Roman festival of Lupercalia. For some reason while I was reading about that festival it reminded me of the movie Midsommar, I think because it’s supposed to be this bright upbeat festival but it has dark undertones. Valentine’s Day never was a big deal to me and still isn’t, but I like learning the history behind holidays.
Sources
Cover photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day
https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2
https://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gory-origins-valentines-day-180968156/
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/St-Valentines-Day/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/holidays/reference/saint-st-valentines-day/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lupercalia
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/fashion/weddings/galentines-day-is-everywhere-heres-why.html
