The origins of Valentine’s Day – The Cauldron
Every year thousands of people count down the days until Feb. 14. They make plans with their partners, and spend countless hours looking for the perfect gift. Others, countdown the days in sorrow, planning to spend the day moping alone in their bed and eating over-priced Valentine’s Day chocolates.
Despite being globally recognized, Valentine’s Day is not a federal holiday, yet the month and the day itself have long been celebrated as a time of romance.
Valentine’s Day has multiple origin stories that sprout from history, legend, and tradition. To some, it’s just an excuse to celebrate love, or the government has used it as an excuse to sell Valentine’s Day cards, clothes, food, and more. So where did Valentine’s Day come from, and why is it so widely celebrated (or loathed) today?
Saint Valentine
The first origin of Valentine’s Day came from Catholic history.
It talks of a Saint Valentine from Rome in 200 A.D. (over 600,000 years ago). During this time young men getting married was outlawed by the current emperor.
It was believed that young men without families and wives made better soldiers. Saint Valentine did not agree and as a priest he performed secret marriages for young men.
When he was caught, he was kept in a Roman prison. While there, he tried to help other Catholic men escape. In some legends, while Valentine was imprisoned he tutored a girl named Julia, who was the blind daughter of his jailer. It states that her vision was restored once she prayed with Valentine.
One day, Valentine tried to convert Claudius (an emperor) to his faith but failed. Claudius was furious and sentenced Valentine to death. On the night of his execution, legend says he wrote a note to Julia and signed it “From your Valentine”.
Love and Paganism
The other origin story comes from Pagan history in Rome.
This story starts with two twin brothers, Romulus and Remus. Their uncle, King Amulius threw them into the Tiber River as a death sentence, all because their mother broke her vow of celibacy. A servant took pity on the twins and put them in the river in a basket.
The river-god carried the basket down the river where it got caught on tree branches. A she-wolf rescued the boys and raised them.
Later in their lives, the twin brothers were adopted by a shepherd and his wife who informed them of their family history, leading the twins to kill their uncle who ordered their supposed death years ago.
The brothers then returned to where the she-wolf raised them and thanked her, naming her Lupercal. In honor, they hosted Lupercalia, a festival, on Feb. 14.
Lupercalia was hosted to appease the Roman fertility god, Lupercus. Though it was nothing like Valentine’s Day is today.
Photo Credit: Camassei, Andrea
The festival takes place over three days and starts with a ritual sacrifice. A group of Roman priests called Luperci was in charge of this rite. They would gather at the home of Lupercal, and kill one or more male goats, which representssexuality, and a dog. Then, Luperci would smear animal blood across their foreheads using the knife they used to kill the animals.
Next, would be the feast. Then, after this, the Luperci would cut strips of goat hide, called thongs, from the newly sacrificed goats and run through the town naked, or partially naked. While running, they would whip any woman in striking distance with their strips of goat hide. Supposedly making the women fertile.
The festival’s not over yet. During the festival, men pick names out of a jar, which belong to women who would be their partners for the duration of the festival.
In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I banned the pagan celebration of Lupercalia and declared Feb 14 a day to celebrate Saint Valentine instead. Despite sounding like a holiday today, the Pope likely didn’t mean this day to turn into a celebration of love and passion given the dark history behind it. Though, Valentine’s Day does share some similarities. For instance, the color red, symbolizing the blood from the ritual sacrifices.
Lupercalia as a festival is no longer publicly celebrated, though some still may celebrate in private.
Valentine’s Day Today
Today, Valentine’s Day is mostly celebrated as a day of love with significant others. There’s even Galentine’s Day on Feb 13 To celebrate love with friends. Flowers, gifts, love letters, fancy dinners, scheduled plans, and the act of asking someone to be your valentine are most commonly facets of this holiday.
Wherever this holiday came from, from legend to legend, it was similar in being a way to celebrate love and passion, and it still is today.