The Many Origins of Valentine’s Day
February is the month when people celebrate their love for one another. On the 14th day of the month, cards, flowers, candy and other gifts are given between couples for the celebration of Valentine’s Day. There are a lot of stories about how this holiday came to be and most of them involve a catholic priest named Valentine (who later became a Saint), that lived in Rome in the third century, AD.
The then current roman emperor Claudius II had it in his head that his soldiers would perform better if they were single (which is actually wrong, as people tend to have a higher motivation when someone they care about is waiting for them home), so to this end he declared marriage for young men illegal. Priest Valentine refused to accept this decree to follow the new law and secretly continued to wed those young couples who came before him. When the emperor found out about it, he threw Valentine into jail as punishment.
According to this legend, while priest Valentine was in prison, he fell in madly in love with the chief jailer’s blind daughter, who proceeded to visit him there often. He sent her a gift to show his affection just days before he was sentenced to death and executed in 270, AD. The letter he enclosed with the gift was signed “From Your Valentine”. This is the most popular legend of how Valentine’s Day came to be, but which was never actually proven to be true. It makes a great story but the hard historical record is lacking.
Even if things really happened the way this story tells us, there’s still the strange fact that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the month of February. Some say this is to honour Father Valentine’s death, while others still think it’s because the church was trying to convert the followers of a pagan festival named Lupercalia to Christianity. February was then considered to be the start of spring and the Romans celebrated the young men’s right of passage for their god Lupercus. A lottery was used, where young men drew the name of a girl who was to become his companion. These couples were companions only for a year, but most of them married by the end of that year.
The then current Pope Gelasius thought he could change the custom by having men and women draw the name of saints from a box in that lottery. They were then supposed to become like the saint whose name they drew in character and personality. Father Valentine, who by then was made a Saint, was chosen to replace the name of the god Lupercus. In 498 AD Pope Gelasius appointed the date of 14th February as Saint Valentine’s Day.
The middle of February is the beginning of mating season for a lot of species of birds and animals and the French and English turned Valentine’s Day into a day of romance. Duke Charles of Orleans was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415 and while there, he sent to his wife what became to be known as the oldest known Valentine’s Day gift, that still exists. By the end of the 17th century, the holiday was being popularly celebrated throughout Great Britain. In the first half of the 18th century, American colonists were exchanging handmade Valentine’s Day gifts. The first commercialized valentine gift cards started selling in the USA in 1840, produced by Esther A. Howland.
Nowadays, only the celebration of Christmas sells more cards than Valentine’s Day. Over a billion gift cards are sent each and every year and the number is growing. Whatever the real truth behind this holiday may be, one thing is for sure – Valentine’s Day has been the day of love for centuries.
Tags: gift card, priest valentine, st valentines day, valentines day, valentines day card
2010 Holidays | 2010calendar | 
February 9, 2010 3:41 am
