Have you ever been bored and wondered how Valentine’s Day started? How did we get to giving roses and heart shaped boxes of chocolate to the ones we love? Well, I am about to give a crash course on the history of everyone’s favorite day of romance.
The holiday has evolved over centuries and I found this part of the history interesting. However, the origin of where the holiday began has different stories. For example, one of the roots can be traced back to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. This festival was held in the middle of February (13 to the 15), and was a celebration of the coming of spring. Women and men were paired off together by a lottery and by fertility.
Lupercalia came to an end at the conclusion of the fifth century when Pope Gelasius I banned it. Pope Gelasius established the Feast of Saint Valentine on Feb. 14 in 496 AD, in honor of the Christian martyr Valentine who was martyred in 269 AD. Now, there are at least two martyrs named Valentine. One of the stories goes that he was a doctor and priest from Rome who was killed during the persecution of Christians.
Another story goes that Valentine was a bishop in Terni, Italy and was martyred in Rome. According to Britannica.com, “According to legend, St. Valentine signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and healed from blindness. Another common legend states that he defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from being conscripted to serve in war.”
Saint Valentine is the patron saint of many things, but the most important things for this article are happy marriages, love and engagement.
I am almost halfway through this article and you might be wondering, “Marie, how did Valentine’s day go from celebrating a martyr to giving roses and love letters?” Well, be patient. I am getting there.
One of the first known instances of the holiday gaining an association with love comes from the Medieval writer Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem the “Parlement of Foules.” The poem takes place in a dream where birds find their mates.
Now, let’s travel forward to explore how the characteristics of modern Valentine’s Day came to be.
Britannica says that, “Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used.”
In the United States the first mass produced cards were made in the mid-1800s. The famous greeting card company Hallmark began making Valentine’s cards in 1913.
Some common symbols of the holiday are, of course, hearts, heart-shaped candies and the Roman god of love, Cupid, shooting arrows of love.
The holiday is celebrated all over the world in a variety of ways. My first memories of the day were the Valentine’s Day parties in elementary school and coming home with a brown bag of pink and red sweets.
As someone who loves the color pink, I enjoy the holiday for all the pink-colored objects I can acquire.
A companion to Valentine’s Day can be seen in the similar sounding Galentine’s Day. This holiday is celebrated on Feb. 13 and its history is more recent with the origins being found in the “Parks and Recreation” episode “Galentine’s Day” (season two episode 16).
The holiday celebrates women empowerment and friendship. Galentine’s Day is one of the many fictional holidays that have gained a real world celebration.
Valentine’s Day is now celebrated in many ways and does not only focus on love. This holiday can be celebrated by giving chocolates, flowers and watching a romantic comedy. There are a lot of romantic comedies to watch. Or maybe you can make a list of your favorite love songs?
What am I going to do on Valentine’s Day? I am not sure yet. Maybe I’ll sit back and watch the 1995 “Pride and Prejudice” miniseries or I might watch the 2005 film adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice.” The possibilities are really endless when I think about it.
Maybe this is cliché to say, but to me one can celebrate Valentine’s Day any way. Celebrate the ones you love and show them that you appreciate them.