The History of Valentine’s Day
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?
The history of Valentine’s Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in mystery. However, we do know that historically February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman (pagan) traditions.
The Man, The Saint
So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?
The most widely known legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. The Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius by secretly performing marriages for young Christian lovers. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be arrested, tried and put to death.
While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he befriended his sympathetic jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter and he made a desperate request for Valentine to heal her of this affliction.
Through his great faith Valentine miraculously restored the sight of Asterius’ daughter, who now had great affection for her healer. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that has lived ever after.
Valentine thus became a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St. Valentine’s name.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial — which is said to have actually occurred on Feb. 24, 270 A.D. — however, the church decided to celebrate Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to ‘Christianize’ the celebration of the pagan Lupercalia festival.
When In Rome...
In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of Spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors.
The festival of Lupercalia, which began at the ‘ides of February’ (the 15th), was a fertility celebration dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. The god of wild nature and fertility, also regarded as the giver of oracles. He was later identified with the Greek Pan and also assumed some of Pan’s characteristics such as the horns and hooves. As the protector of cattle he is also referred to as Lupercus (“he who wards off the wolf”).
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman pagan priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. The boys then sliced the goat’s hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goat hide strips.
Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
The Holy Day
Pope Gelasius declared February 14th Saint Valentine’s Day around 498 A.D. The Roman ‘lottery’ system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine’s Day — should be a day for romance.
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would then wear these names on their sleeves for one week. This led to the phrase to “wear your heart on your sleeve” which now means that it is easy for others to see your romantic feelings.
In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Celebrate!
Come celebrate this ancient day of romance and affection by bringing your sweetheart to Vision Quest on February 14th and getting your aura photos taken. On this day only, buy one full price aura photo and get a second one absolutely FREE! (Not valid with any other discount or coupon.)
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