The origin of Valentine's Day might surprise you – here's what to know
We might typically associate Valentine's Day with romance, roses and chocolate, but the holiday's history has a lot more to it than meets the eye.
From a Roman festival and Christian martyrs to a medieval celebration of spring, we explore the origins of Valentine's Day in more detail...
Where does the name Valentine come from?
The holiday is aptly named after Saint Valentine, but who exactly was he?
It's widely believed that Valentine is likely based on a combination of two Valentines who were executed on February 14 in different years by Roman Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century A.C.E, according to NPR. The Catholic Church may have established St. Valentine's Day to honour these two martyrs.
Legend says that one of these men, Saint Valentine of Terni, had officiated weddings for Roman soldiers in secret, going against the emperor's wishes, making him seen to some as a proponent of love.
Another story involves the practice of writing love letters to your valentine. It's said that St. Valentine wrote the first “valentine” greeting to a young girl he tutored and fell in love with while he was imprisoned for the crimes outlined above. According to The History Channel, before his death, he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine," which remains a commonly used phrase to this day.
But these romantic anecdotes are only legends. So little historical information is known about the martyrs named St. Valentine that in 1969 the Roman Catholic Church removed the feast day from its calendar, though St. Valentine is still recognised as a saint.
Does Valentine's Day have pagan origins?
There was a mid-February fertility festival in ancient Rome called Lupercalia, which some believe was a forerunner to Valentine's Day.
Dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunas, and Roman founders Romulus and Remus, this feast of debauchery involved a ritual where an order of Roman priests ran naked through the streets, placing the hides of sacrificed animals on women, which they believed promoted fertility. Later, notes Britannica.com, the women would be paired off with men "by lottery."
In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I outlawed Lupercalia. Some contend that he designated the celebration of St. Valentine's Day on February 14 to replace the pagan holiday.
When did Valentine's Day become a romantic holiday?
If you're thinking that none of this sounds very romantic that's because Valentine's Day did not begin to resemble the holiday we know today until the Middle Ages — and we might have the poet Geoffrey Chaucer to thank for it.
The late scholar Jack B. Oruch, a University of Kansas English professor, determined that Chaucer was the first to link love with St. Valentine in his 14th-century works "The Parliament of Fowls" and "The Complaint of Mars," notes the Times. Therefore, Oruch claimed, Chaucer invented Valentine's Day as we know it today.
At the time of Chaucer's writing, February 14 also happened to be considered the first day of spring in Britain, because it was the beginning of birds' mating season — perfectly appropriate for a celebration of affection. In fact, Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls" is all about birds (albeit anthropomorphised ones) gathering to choose their mates: "For this was on Saint Valentine’s day, / When every fowl comes there his mate to take," reads one of the verses.
Why didn't Chaucer just write "For this was on February 14…"? Poetry aside, it would not have been the convention of the times. In a blog post for The Folklore Society, folklorist Jacqueline Simpson explains it this way: "In the Catholic Church every day in the year celebrates at least one saint, and for a public who had no printed calendars it was easier to remember dates by names than by figures."
Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?
Whether or not Chaucer can be fully credited, it is true that he and fellow writer Shakespeare popularised the amorous associations surrounding the day. Soon, people began penning and exchanging love letters to celebrate Valentine's Day.
The mid-19th century marked the beginning of many of the commercialised Valentine's Day traditions we know today. Victorian men wooed women with flowers, Richard Cadbury created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates, and the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, began stamping out an early version of Conversation Hearts.
By the early 1910s, an American company that would one day become Hallmark began distributing its more official "Valentine's Day cards."
What part does Cupid play on Valentine's Day?
Of course, it's not all about St. Valentine. Cupid — the winged baby boy often seen on Valentine's Day cards and paraphernalia — is another symbol of this love-filled holiday, and it's easy to understand why.
In Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. He was known for shooting arrows at both gods and humans, causing them to fall instantly in love with one another. While it's unclear exactly when Cupid was brought into the Valentine's Day story, it's certainly clear why.
Personalised Pink Roses 1/2 Pint Mug
Pink Roses 3 Pint Jug
Pink Roses 1/2 Pint Mug
Pink Roses set of 3 vases
Pink Pansy Medium Vase
Purple Pansy Set of 3 Vases Boxed
Pink Hearts Phone Case for iPhone 6 / 6S / 7 / 8
Pink Pansy 6 Pint Jug
Pink Pansy Duck on Nest
You Might Also Like
