Why Valentine’s Day?
February 14 is second only to Christmas for gift-giving and sweet treats. A day for romantic dinners and spending time with loved ones. Sending cards to those we love.
Where did the tradition begin? Historians can’t establish the exact origin but do trace how traditions have evolved over the years.
Earliest traditions
According to History.com, the holiday’s origin predates Christianity with the ancient pagan festival of Lupercalia, a Roman festival of feasting and pairing off in partners celebrated in the middle of February.
During Lupercalia, the hide of a sacrificed goat would be cut into strips, dipped in blood, and slapped around women in the belief the ritual would make the women more fertile in the coming year. That festival was outlawed in the 5th century when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day.
Who was Saint Valentine?
The most accepted account of St. Valentine says he was a priest arrested for defying a Roman decree that forbade soldiers from marrying and then executed for continuing to wed lovers in secret.
The problem is, according to NPR, Emperor Claudius II of Rome executed two different men named Valentine on February 14 in two different years.
History.com contends St. Valentine was an imprisoned priest who fell in love with one of his visitors and wrote letters to her signing off with “From your Valentine.”
Both accounts have romantic undertones unfortunately neither can be officially verified.
Add in the fact that the Catholic Church recognizes multiple priests named Valentine, and all we can say with confidence is Valentine’s Day was named for a martyred priest.
From honoring a priest to current traditions
Jack B. Oruch, an English professor, says our modern-day traditions are thanks to the 14th-century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who first associated St Valentine with romantic love. Oruch concluded that before Chaucer’s “The Parlement of Foules” and “The Complaint of Mars” there was no significant written record linking romantic tradition to St. Valentine’s Day.
By the mid-18th century, giving small tokens and handmade notes to friends and lovers on Valentine’s Day became common practice.
The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century enabled printed Valentine’s Day cards. Then in 1913, Hallmark Cards began mass-producing Valentines, and the rest is history.
National Retail Federation predicts a record $27.5 billion will be spent on Valentine’s Day this year. The amount is up from last year’s $25.8 billion. Astonishing, isn’t it?
No fancy retail for our Valentine’s celebration around my house. A hug and an “I love you” say Happy Valentine’s Day the best.
What are your plans?
