History of Valentine’s Day

As January passes and February hastily ensues, let's examine the month’s largest holiday: Valentine’s Day.

The true origin of the holiday is cloaked in mystique. Although the history is unknown, there are many theories as to where the celebration came from.

The most commonly-spread theory begins with the ancient festival of Lupercalia, which was an alcohol-fueled fertility party in which Roman men and women paired together by selecting random names from a hat. Eventually, as the Roman population became more Christian, Pope Gelasius I turned the festival into a more modest holiday to honor St. Valentine. It’s important to note that the new holiday was never associated with the idea of love for many years. The honoring of St. Valentine, at the time, was not a celebration of romance.

But who was this Saint Valentine? That’s the problem: No one knows for sure.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three saints named Valentine. So the question of who the true St. Valentine is still being argued today. “One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death,” writes History.com. Another possible legend claims that a man named Valentine was killed for helping Christians escape torture from Roman prisons. And finally, another story suggests that, “an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” after he fell in love with a young girl – possibly his jailer's daughter – who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today” (History.com).

Regardless of the identity of Saint Valentine and the outlawing of Lupercalia, citizens of Rome still sought a day to proclaim and celebrate intimacy. During the Middle Ages, the beginning of the bird-mating season began on the 14th of February. People saw this as a sign that the day ought to be celebrated as a day of romance.

Since the Middle Ages, this day of love has been recognized. “The oldest known written Valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt,” says History.com. But the true the beginning of mass-produced handwritten Valentines didn’t come around until the early 1700’s. Since then, popularity has only grown. Valentine’s Day is the second largest card-sending day of the year. Approximately one billion cards are sent a year, according to the Greeting Card Association.

If you’re feeling left out, don’t worry. According to my impeccable math virtuosity, there are about 7.6 billion people in the world, so 7.6 billion - 1 billion = a lot of possible Valentine’s.

Perhaps it's your year. Go get your Valentine.

Works Cited

H. (2009). History of Valentine's Day. Retrieved January 23, 2018, from http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day

Image: http://meegonow.com/history-of-valentines-day/valentines-day-history-celebrating-holidays/

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