Valentine’s Day, the “Love” holiday is sometimes called the most romantic day of the year. Others believe it is the commercial industry’s excuse to capitalize on love. Whether you despise it or love it, Valentine’s Day is the one day out of the year that brings to our attention the importance of love. But who created such a holiday? Did they decide to create it because they have discovered love or have lost love?
The origins of this candy coated holiday go all the way back to the year 270 A.D.
Celebrations similar to modern day ones such as receiving flowers and foods of delicacy (chocolates) are believed to be rooted in ancient Roman and Christian traditions. The most commonly accepted reason for the date of Valentine’s Day is the theory that the holiday evolved from the Roman festival called Lupercalia. This was a festival celebrating fertility that was held on February 15th. But as Christianity began to become more and more popular in Europe and especially Rome, many holidays and days of celebration were “recreated”. Holidays that were once celebrations of the different Roman gods were now declared to be on different days and renamed after Christian martyrs, or saints. In the year 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius decided that the Roman festival of Lupercalia should become a Christian day of feasting. He also decided that it should now fall a day sooner in the month of February. Pope Gelasius declared the date of February 14th to be a day in honor of a Roman martyr named Saint Valentine. Who lived during the 3rd century.
Although it is absolutely certain that the modern version of Valentine’s Day holiday is named after a man, Valentine, who eventually became a martyr and a saint under the religion of Catholicism, it is unknown which Saint Valentine. The Catholic encyclopedia suggests that there were in fact three different Catholic saints named Valentine, who all lived around the same time period. Even though there are conflicting religious views today on the history of the holiday between Protestants and Catholics, both religions agree that the particular saint which the holiday is named after was a bishop who lived during the time of Claudius II. Legend has it that it was in disobedience to Claudius II’s laws that Valentine would hold secret marriage ceremonies for soldiers and their loved ones. Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men in Rome at the time because he wanted them to be molded into good soldiers. Claudius believed that marriage should be outlawed because it makes soldiers weak. He believed that emotional ties to a family would compromise a soldier’s strengths on the battlefield.
Saint Valentine however, sympathized with the youth of Rome and became known as the “friend of lovers” because he was the person young couples in love would turn to. However, the only problem was that performing secret marriages was not so secretive of a business. It did not take long for Claudius II to arrest and execute Valentine. However, legend has it, that while awaiting Claudius’ sentence of execution in jail, Valentine was visited by his jailor Asterius, and his blind daughter. Asterius had heard that Valentine had “saintly” abilities and came to him in the hopes that he could help cure his daughter’s blindness. Both Protestant and Catholic versions of the story agree upon the fact that Valentine did indeed help cure the girl, but a Catholic version of the story says that while awaiting his sentencing, Valentine fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. The story says that just before Valentine’s execution was to take place, he asked for a pen and paper and wrote a letter to her, signed “From your Valentine”.
Even though this version sounds nice and romantic, many scholars believe that it was Saint Valentine’s date of death rather than his love letter to the jailor’s daughter that established his name in the love industry. Executed for refusing to deny his religious beliefs, Saint Valentine died on February 14th 270 A.D.
It is said that one of the first “valentines” ever was sent was in 1415 A.D. by the Duke of Orleans (Charles), to his wife. The card now resides in a British Museum.
Sources:
http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/history_of_valentine.htm
History Channel: http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day