Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14 and lands on a Friday this year. It’s a time when people exchange candies, flowers, and gifts with their loved ones in honour of St. Valentine. Are you curious about this mysterious saint and the origins of these traditions?

The history of Valentine’s Day traces back to ancient Roman celebrations that marked the arrival of spring and include the custom of giving cards from the Victorian era.

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Valentine’s Day: History

The story of Valentine’s Day and Saint Valentine is filled with fascinating legends. February has long been known as a month of love, and the holiday includes elements from Christian traditions and ancient Roman customs. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three saints named Valentine.

One tale tells of a priest in Rome who secretly performed weddings after Emperor Claudius II banned marriage for young men, believing single men made better soldiers. When discovered, Valentine was executed for his defiance.

Another story suggests a bishop named Valentine of Terni also met the same fate. There are also legends of Valentine helping imprisoned Christians and the romantic tale of him falling in love with a young girl while in prison.

He famously signed a letter to her with “From your Valentine”, a phrase that endures today. Though the details of Saint Valentine’s life are unclear, these stories highlight his reputation as a brave and romantic figure, leading to his popularity as a beloved saint in the Middle Ages.

Valentine’s Day Origin

Some believe Valentine’s Day is celebrated in mid-February to mark St. Valentine’s death around the year 270. Others think the church chose this date to replace the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia, held on February 15, which honoured the god of agriculture, Faunus, and the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.

During Lupercalia, priests known as the Luperci would gather at a sacred cave and sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purification. They would then cut the goat’s skin into strips, dip them in blood, and gently tap women and fields in the city, as it was believed to enhance fertility.

Later, young women would place their names in a jar, and bachelors would draw names, often resulting in pairings that ended in marriage.

Meaning Of Valentine’s Day

Lupercalia was an ancient festival that continued until Christianity rose, but it was banned by Pope Gelasius in the 5th century when he established February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day. It took a while for this day to be seen as a day for love.

In the Middle Ages, people in France and England believed that February 14 was the start of bird mating season, linking it to romance. The poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to mention St. Valentine’s Day as a day for love in his 1375 poem ‘Parliament of Fowls.’

Valentine’s greetings were popular then, but written cards didn’t appear until after 1400. One of the oldest known valentines is a poem by Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent to his wife in 1415 while imprisoned.

It is now housed in the British Library. Later, King Henry V is believed to have hired a writer, John Lydgate, to create a Valentine’s note for Catherine of Valois.

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