by Vivienne Brichta, Freshman
Valentine’s Day: A holiday from ancient Roman courtship lottery feasts to boxes of chocolate and prom nights. But the main question is, how did we get here?
The original Valentine’s Day was a Roman feast called Lupercalia, from Feb. 13-15. This celebration originally didn’t have to do with St. Valentine at all, or themes of love for the most part, and had barbaric traditions and rituals that included the sacrifice of animals, the hitting of women (which they believed would give them fertility,) and a couple-matching lottery.
Then, a change occurred when St. Valentine was executed, with the logistics being largely up to legend. This caused Lupercalia to shift, until eventually, in the 5th century, over 200 years after Valentine’s execution, Pope Gelasius banned Lupercalia entirely, favoring Valentine’s Day and officially making it Feb. 14.
There are many legends surrounding what actually happened with the priest, Valentine. One popular story is that St. Valentine found it unfair that, under Roman rule by Emperor Claudius II, young men couldn’t get married because they had to become soldiers. The legend goes that St. Valentine married young couples in secret, and because of this, he was imprisoned. While he was imprisoned, he helped his jailer’s daughter recover from sickness. Right before St. Valentine was sent to be executed, on Feb. 14, by Claudius, he had left a note reading, “from your Valentine.”
Other tales include that Valentine was helping Christians escape Roman prisons to allow them to preserve their faith, and cut hearts out of parchment for said prisoners and soldiers. Why Valentine’s Day is the way it is, and what truly happened, remains largely unknown. There is also speculation on the placement of Valentine’s Day, which includes the possibility that Valentine’s Day was created and placed on Feb. 14 to diminish Lupercalia, which was a pagan holiday, and replace it with a Christian holiday.
The Romans thought the execution was unjust, and Lupercalia slowly merged to celebrate St. Valentine, and the love he brought, which began to create modern Valentine’s Day. Since St. Valentine’s pioneering, the holiday has certainly adapted into more romantic gestures, which was primarily influenced by classical writers including Shakespeare. This much more romantic modernity was further adapted with the monetization of Valentine’s Day cards by Hallmark in 1913.
So, in the modern day, after many adaptations, Valentine’s Day is simply a day to show appreciation to those you love. Now, common Western traditions for Valentine’s Day include buying gifts for family or one’s spouse: chocolates, flowers, plushies, etc. Activities like making cards or other crafts are a great tradition from the legend of St. Valentine that still thrives today. And even commonplace gestures such as going to prom still symbolize the same traditions perpetuated by St. Valentine: the greatness of young love.
Valentine’s Day has come a long way, full of rich history and still spreading joy.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day
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