The Origin and Background of St. Valentines Day

The origins of this holiday derive from the celebration of the feast of Lupercalia to welcome the month of February (Juno Feruata) and give homage to the god of agriculture Faunus (this is the beginning of spring in Italy and Eurpope).  This holiday included "pagan" rituals, including sexual games (for fertility). One of the games was a lottery.  In this lottery, the women would each put their names into a bowl, then the men would pick out a name of one of these women.  The woman would then become the man’s partner for pleasures of the body. When the Catholic Church and Pope Gelasius came to power in the 3rd century AD, they wanted to convert this celebration and its practices into something wholesome and instilled the celebration of St. Valentine.

The legend of the holiday has been based on Saint Valentine.  However, scholars are unable to determine exactly who he was.  But, the legends grew.  One legend of St. Valentine's history is that when Emperor Claudius of Rome outlawed marriage of young males (because single men make better warriors) St. Valentine defied the Emperor and married them secretly (approx. 270 A.D.)  A more romantic legend is that when St. Valentine was imprisoned and sentenced to death (for helping prisoners escape the Roman prisons) he fell in love with the daughter of his captor and sent her the first "valentine" as an expression of his love (he supposedly signed it "from your Valentine").

The first St. Valentines day was officially proclaimed by Pop Gelasius in 498 A.D.  However, the modern celebration of this holiday did not begin until the 18th century when it became popular to exchange token gifts and notes of affection with others on this day.  The first mass produced Valentines Day card was produced and sold in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland.

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th.  This is the date of the death of St. Valentine and it also corresponds to the Festival of Lupercalia (Feb. 15th).

Although still a Christian holiday at its modern roots, it is celebrated by all denominations, where couples show affection for each other through cards and gifts.

Who Invented the Valentine’s Day Card?

As noted above, it was St. Valentine himself who sent a letter to a lady he proclaimed to love while being held in the prison the Emperor.  The letter itself is on display in the National Museum in London.

Why Do We Give Flowers on Valentine’s Day?

The tradition of giving flowers goes back a very long way. However, the giving of flowers was not always given for romance.  Evidence of flowers have been found at the remains at ancient graves and burial sites.  In the medieval days, flowers were given to ward of death or evil – although the occasional story about the handsome night giving a beautiful flower to a beautiful maiden still existed.  The modern tradition started somewhere about the 17th or 18th century, when the custom of giving flowers moved its way up from Persia into Europe.  Some acclaim this spread of knowledge to Lady Mary Wortley Montagu who traveled and lived in modern day Turkey, before returning to London in the early 1700’s.  Others give credit to Charles II (1630-1685) during who picked up the Arabic custom during his years as ruler and during his the two periods where he was traveling while in in exile. Charles II, also brought the idea of the “language of flowers” to England and France.  This is where different types of flowers and their arrangement can be used to communicate different messages.  Books, especially all over England, were written about this floral language.  A whole conversation could transpire without one word being said orally.  The tradition of giving of flowers had continued on to modern times.

How did Cupid Become Associated With Valentine’s Day?

Cupid is a mythical figure from ancient times.  He is depicted as a young child who flys around with his magical bow and arrows. Any victim who is struck falls in love with the first person they see.  In ancient Greece he was known as Eros, but was given the name Cupid by the Romans.  In both ancient societies, he was the son of the goddess of love (Aphrodite to the Greeks, Venus to the Romans).  He was originally depicted as a young, but strong and powerful god (not the little baby he is depicted as today)

One of the most famous tales about Cupid is the story of Cupid and Psyche.  Cupid’s mother, Venus was jealous of Psyche’s beauty and sent her loyal son down to get rid of her.  However, Cupid fell in love with her and married her instead.  They lived harmoniously as long as she did not look at him.  One day, her sisters convinced her to take a short peek.  Cupid was furious and he left her immediately, taking their home, wealth all of his possessions with him.  The saddened Psyche wondered around aimlessly until she came upon a great castle.  The castle was governed by none other than the goddess Venus.  Venus told Psych that she would reunite her with Cupid if she would complete a series of tasks.  The tasks could be lethal, but that was what Venus intended.  The final task was to take some of the beauty from Prosperine and place it in a beautifully ornate box.  She was also told not to open the box.  Her curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box anyway (she has an issue with following directions).  Instead of finding beauty, she found her eternal sleep.  Cupid came too late and found his beloved Psyche lying dead.  Cupid then gathered her life essence and put it into the same box.  When he brought the box to his father, he and the other gods were touched by Cupid’s love and made Psyche a immortal as a goddess.

This story of love has been passed down through stories both oral and written.  However, the meaning behind the story has a very romantic notion of love behind it, and as the tradition of providing a day for romance grew (i.e., Valentine’s Day), the notion of a Cupid began to grow with it.  This probably became more evident during the early 1900’s, when Valentine’s Day became not only a day for lovers, but also a day where new loves can begin, such as at Sadie Hawkin’s Valentine’s Day dance.  The depiction of a handsome young man of the ancient tales was probably transformed during the Victorian era in England.

How did the Heart become associated with Valentines Day and Love?