I think Valentine’s day has a bad reputation these days, which is unfair. A lot of people consider it to be a “Hallmark Holiday” and purely commercial, but the people who think this are overlooking the deep and meaningful origin of the day. There is a lot of debate about the origin of Valentine’s day, however, it is clear to most historians that the holiday has some similarities to the Pre-Roman festival Lupercalia. Lupercalia took place around February 14th to 16th and was basically a giant party where people sacrificed animals, then took the remains of the animals and whipped single women with them, thinking it would promote fertility.
I know that doesn’t really sound like the Valentines day we celebrate today, but the timing of the event and the symbolic use of red to represent love has presented a good argument that Lupercalia is the original Valentines day celebration. Valentine’s day would not get its name until the 5th century when Pope Gelasius I decided to create the holiday. In the 3rd century, there was a Roman emperor who felt that married men made bad soldiers, as they were distracted by the feeling of homesickness. In order to keep his army strong, the emperor banned marriage. A priest named Father Valentine decided to keep performing marriage ceremonies in secret for young Christians. Valentine would later be caught and imprisoned for performing the marriages, while in jail the couples who he had married would visit him and leave him flowers as thanks. This is where we have derived the custom of giving flowers on Valentine’s day from. Father Valentine would be executed on February 14th and after his death would be made a saint by the Catholic church. Pope Gelasius I would create the holiday in honor of St. Valentines Martyrdom.
Overall, Valentine’s day has much more dramatic and even romantic origins then most people think. The history behind the holiday gives me a greater appreciation of the day itself, and while I am going to take advantage of the cheap chocolate on February 15th, I will also be less cynical on February 14th.