History of Valentine's Day

Although its roots are unclear, Valentine’s Day has become a symbolic occasion whereby people express fondness and affection to those they care about. We’re going to shed some light on the history of its beginnings and look at some of the popular symbols that have come to represent Valentine’s Day.

Possible Origins of Valentine’s Day

There is no guarantee as to the origins of Valentine’s Day, but it does contain remnants of the early Christian church and Ancient Rome. Scholars have offered contradictory opinions as to validity of these legends and the sources thereof. Suffice to say that the following are some of the most long-established and popular accounts of this romantic, yet somewhat ambiguous, day:

Ancient Rome

The celebration of love during the month of February has also been linked to legends that attribute Valentine’s Day origins to a festival in ancient Rome.

Lupercalia was a pagan festival held in Rome during the middle of the month; its purpose was to bring forth purification and fertility. It is thought that part of the worship was to honour the pagan god Faunus, Rome’s god of fertility.

The other intent was to pay tribute to Lupa, a she-wolf, who is part human, part wolf. The myth goes that the orphans Romulus and Remus, who would eventually found Rome, were the twin sons of (the God) Mars and (the mythical Princess) Rhea. The king sent an order for them to be killed but instead pity was imparted upon them and they were sent down the Tiber River in a basket. They were found by what is said to be a wolf, who suckled and cared for them.

Regardless of the purpose, part of the celebration was to sacrifice animals and use their bloody skins to subsequently slap young maidens to bestow fertility upon them.

It is a common belief that during the 5th century A.D. the Christian church (Pope Gelasius I) decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in an effort to Christianize celebrations of the Pagan Lupercalia ... as they have done with Solstice {Christmas}, Halloween {All Saints Day}, Imbolc {Candlemas}, Easter {Ostara}.

Early Christian Church (St. Valentine)

If we observe the origins of Valentine’s Day from the Christian church perspective, we’ll find that there were several saints canonized as Valentine. There is some obscurity as to the identity of the one real Saint Valentine; some speculate that it could be the celebration of one or a number of martyred saints with that same name.

A common representation of one such saint, as was characterized in the Nuremberg Chronicle, was a defiant roman priest, from 3rd century A.D., who was ruled by Emperor Claudius II, aka Claudius Gothicus. At one point Claudius II banned marriage. He needed many soldiers to leave home for lengthy periods of time to fight battles and found that they were rather unproductive because they were homesick for their family and loved ones.

Valentine thought the ban was unfair and continued to marry Christian lovers in secret; he also aided and cared for Christians, which at that time was persecuted by law. Valentine’s activities were found out and he was sentenced to confinement - and later to death. While he was imprisoned, couples whom he wed would visit him and while in his cell they passed flowers and notes to him to show support for his valour.

During his time in custody Valentine had also fallen in love with the jailor’s blind daughter. On the day that Father Valentine was supposed to executed, he passed a note to the girl and signed it “From your Valentine”. The story goes that before he was beheaded, he restored the daughter’s sight.

Symbols of Valentine’s Day:

Cards

Valentine’s Day is often celebrated through loving gestures, such as bestowing gifts of chocolate, candy, flowers or gifts. The most traditional offering comes by way of a special card that commonly sports symbols like doves, cupids and hearts. Although there are historically earlier examples of Valentine’s Day cards, sending them became popular during the 1800’s in Great Britain. American Esther Howland, whose father owned a stationary and book store, fashioned hand-made Valentine’s Day cards, inspired by a British version, and paved the way to a lucrative business. Advances in printing and mechanization have now enabled Valentine’s Day cards to be mass produced and helped turn it into the multi-billion dollar industry that it is today.

The Rose

It is no wonder that roses are a really popular mark of love - and the reason that so many are given on this occasion, amongst others. Their blooms are beautiful and their fragrance is sweet. Roses have been featured in many famous love poems, written by authors such as Shakespeare and Burns. An interesting association is that roses were identified with the ancient Greek and Roman goddesses of love, Aphrodite and Venus respectively. Roses have also been used to symbolize the Egyptian goddess Isis as well as the Virgin Mary.

When given as a gift, the colors of a rose will carry a special significance; red represent love, beauty and passion; white signify true love, reverence and purity; yellow indicate friendship or joy; pink stand for friendship or sweethearts.

Cupid

Cupid is most easily recognized as a winged and mischievous child, whose arrows would pierce hearts and cause people to fall in love. Historically, Cupid has inspired the image of cherubs for Christians, but in ancient Roman mythology Cupid is the powerful god of erotic love, whose mother was Venus. In Greek mythology, he was known as Eros, son of Aphrodite, who was the goddess of beauty and love. He has been a popular depiction in art and literature and an unmistakable symbol of Valentine’s Day.

Now that you’ve had an in-depth look at the history of Valentine’s Day, enjoy the event and share your affection with your lover, friends and family. But remember, it shouldn’t take an officially acknowledged day to inspire you to express your appreciation of your loved ones! Any day can (and should) be a ‘Valentine’s Day’…