Loved by some, hated by others, Valentine's Day is widely considered the ultimate day of cheesy, remorseless romance.
While some may be vaguely aware that the occasion takes its name from a priest named Saint Valentine, they may not be familiar with the full history of Valentine's Day, which is decidedly less romantic than one might expect.
Valentine of Terni was a 3rd century priest who ministered to Christians in ancient Rome. There are several stories that detail the events that led him to become a martyr and later to be named a saint by the Catholic Church.
One of the most believed stories suggests that Valentine challenged Emperor Claudius II of Rome. The Emperor had forbidden young men to marry, as he thought they were more useful on the battlefield than at home.
Some accounts detail Valentine's harsh defiance of this law, seeing him marry young couples in clandestine ceremonies. This was considered a serious crime in the eyes of the Emperor and, as a consequence, the priest was beheaded on February 14.
Despite the emperor's anger, the Catholic Church praised Valentine for uniting couples who observed the Christian faith. Thus, Saint Valentine was formally recognized by the church as a saint after his death. Since then, Valentine's Day has been associated with courtly love and the romantic traditions of Valentine's Day.
Along with this tale, some believe that the story of Valentine's Day may also have its roots in a pre-ancient Roman holiday called Lupercalia. The festival, which the Romans celebrated each year on February 15, celebrated fertility. Those who participated worked to purify the city of evil spirits in order to maximize fertility and bring prosperity to their villages.
Luperci by J. Grasset Saint Sauveur Ancient Rome, Bergamo 1825
(Rex Characteristics)
The pagan holiday was also known as “dies februatus,” which means “day of purification,” hence the name of the month of February.
During part of the process, the priests of the god Lupercus – the Lupercos – sacrificed goats and a dog and then smeared the animals' blood on their foreheads.
These men would then run naked up the Palatine Hill, beating women who approached them with the skins of the animals they had sacrificed. Priests believed that beating women with animal skins would ensure that they remained fertile.
While the concept of Lupercalia may differ greatly from our modern understanding of Valentine's Day, the two celebrations are closely related.
The Lupercalia celebrations came to an end around the 5th century, following objections to the festival by Pope Gelasius I.
The Pope condemned the practices of the pagan festival and described those who participated in it as “vile and common, abject and of the lowest category.”
The Valentine's Day holiday on February 14 was officially declared by the Pope in 496 AD. C., leading some to believe that it had effectively replaced Lupercalia with the holiday in honor of Saint Valentine.
The first evidence that Valentine's Day had romantic connotations came in the 14th century, through the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer. “For this was Valentine's Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate,” the English poet wrote to honor the engagement of King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia.
William Shakespeare also referenced Valentine's Day in his work, and Ophelia spoke of the day in her 17th-century play. Village.
Valentine's Day as we know it today began to take shape in the 19th and early 20th centuries, thanks in part to the rise of the industrial revolution.
In 1913, Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Missouri, began mass producing Valentine's Day cards, sparking the beginning of the commercial holiday that February 14th became.
A decade later, chocolatier Russell Stover had the innovative idea of selling chocolates in heart-shaped boxes covered in satin and black lace.
In 2018, money-saving website Finder reported that 22 million Britons were preparing to spend money on their loved ones on Valentine's Day.
The average spend by a person taking part in the love-filled celebrations was £28.45, while 16 per cent of the population said they planned to celebrate the day without spending a penny.
