ALT-2 Valentines Day Origins
While you're out buying those cards and candies and flowers for your loved one this Valentine's Day, have you ever wondered how and why St. Valentine's Day began?
As with many Christian holidays, St. Valentine's Day's origins are a little murky. . .with Roman legends and pagan traditions mixed in with Christian beliefs. What is known, however, is that the St. Valentine's Day of yesteryear bore very little resemblance to how it's celebrated now.
So who exactly was St. Valentine? Even this is not clear as the Catholic Church recognizes not one, but three martyred saints named Valentine, who are honored on the 14th of February. There is St. Valentine of Rome who served as a priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. The emperor needed to bulk up his army, but many Roman men of soldier age' often didn't want to sign up, preferring to stay in Rome where their girlfriends/wives/paramours were. Claudius II, hoping to eliminate this conflict,' allegedly decreed that men of a certain age could no longer marry. Valentine the priest, legend had it, continued to perform marital rites and ceremonies for the men, in direct violation of Claudius II's decree. When he was discovered, Valentine was executed and attained martyrdom.
The second Valentine was also a priest and there is some debate as to whether he was the same Valentine as St. Valentine of Rome or whether he was St. Valentine of Terni. In any event, the legend around this Valentine alleged that he was imprisoned for helping Christians and that during his imprisonment, he fell in love with his jailer's daughter and sent her love notes signed, from your Valentine.' Another version of the legend had it that he cured the jailer's daughter of blindness, thereby enraging the emperor of Rome who ordered him beheaded on February 14th.
Not much is known about the third Valentine, other than his mention in the Catholic encyclopedia under martyrlogies.' Eventually, all the Valentines were merged into a singular entity' when in 496, Pope Gelasius declared February 14th the day to honor St. Valentine, and as Christianity evolved, St. Valentine eventually became the patron saint of lovers.
Valentine's Day also has its roots in the pagan holiday known as Lupercalia, which in ancient Rome, was celebrated on February 15th (which was the beginning of spring in Rome). Lupercalia was a celebration of the pagan God, Lupercus, who was believed to watch over Roman shepherds and their flocks and protect them from packs of wild wolves that prowled the outskirts of Rome in ancient times. The Goddess, Juno Februrata, was also honored during Lupercalia and pagan tradition dictated that the names of young women were put into a box and drawn out by young men. Those that matched were considered partners' for the year.
As Christianity spread, the Church often took over' ancient, pagan rituals that they considered heathen practices' and christianized' them. So the pagan celebration of Lupercalia was renamed St. Valentine's Day and instead of drawing girls' name from the box, Saints' names were drawn with the decree that people were to emulate their chosen' saint for the year. This didn't prove very popular with the people, however, and the Church went back to the pagan tradition of drawing girls' names. Over time, some modified' this tradition and had the young men wear their chosen's' name on their sleeve (giving rise to the expression, wearing your heart on your sleeve.') and exchanging small gifts with each other throughout their yearly courtship.
Finally, many also believe that mid-February is the time of year that birds choose their mates, and thus, it's also a good time for young people to select their mates. After all, centuries of nature can't be wrong, right?
So, there you have it. The origins of St. Valentine's Day. Suffice it to say, it's really a hodgepodge of Christian beliefs, pagan rituals, and Roman legends. While its origins may be a bit murky, it's clear that St. Valentine's Day has come to epitomize romantic love, and all its trappings.
