Legends Related to Valentines Day
English-speaking countries celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, every 14 February. Apart from being a Catholic saint’s day, it is a day to send cards and small presents to those you love. Americans celebrateValentine’s Dayenthusiastically sending cards to family members, friends, pets and others. British people send cards to lovers, life partners, spouses and to those they nurse romantic feelings towards. There are many legends related to St.Valentine’s Day.
There is some confusion about the saint, to whom the day relates, since there are three martyrs calledValentineassociated with 14 February. One of these was the bishop of Interamna (Modern day Terni, Italy), another was a priest in Rome, and the third lived and died in Africa and little is known about him.
Thepriesthelped Christians suffering persecution by Emperor Claudius II and secretly married Christians defying an Imperial order in doing so. The authorities arrested Father Valentine and his jailers tried to make him renounce Catholicism. When he refused to do so, Claudius ordered Valentine executed and he was beheaded on February 14 in around 270. One legend says that the night before his execution Valentine left a letter for his Jailer’s daughter, who had been kind to him, and signed it “from your Valentine”.
Thebishopwas under house arrest in Judge Asterius’ house discussing religion with him. The Judge brought his blind daughter to Valentine and said that, if he could make her see, Valentine could have anything he wanted. Valentine reputedly laid his hands over the child’s eyes and restored her sight. Valentine asked the Judge to destroy all the Roman idols around his house, fast for three days and convert to Catholicism. He also released all Christian prisoners under his control. Valentine was arrested a second time and sent to the Emperor Claudius II, becoming quite a favourite with him until Valentine tried to convert him to Catholicism. Claudius ordered his execution, which took place February 14, 269.
St. Valentine’s Day in the United Kingdom may have replaced a much older Celtic Festival. Certainly, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia on 15 February. All Rome’s single women would put their names in a big urn. The single men would each take a name out of the urn, and he and the girl whose name he had picked from the urn, would be paired for a year. People followed a similar custom in medieval England, when bachelors and unmarried women drew names from a bowl, to discover their Valentine. They then wore the names on their sleeves for a week.
Traditionally in England,birdschoose their mates on February 14. People from Sussex called 14 February “The Birds’ Wedding Day”.Chauceralluded to this belief in hisParliament of Foules. Dame Elizabeth Brews alludes to the legend in “The Paston letters”. Hence, February 14 was an ideal day for St. Valentine’s Day, as a day for love and romance.
Legend has it that the first man a single woman sees on St. Valentine’s Day will become her husband; you might want to avoid some people. Another legend suggests that the first man’s name a single girl sees or reads on St. Valentine’s Day will marry her. Birds could foretell fortune in marriage, if the first bird a girl saw on St. Valentine’s Day was a robin, she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy and if she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a wealthy man.
Several legends instruct single girls on methods to find out the identity of a future mate. One involves visiting the local graveyard at midnight on the evening preceding St. Valentine’s day, singing a particular song while running around the church twelve times. If all this were done correctly, the likeness of a future husband would appear before the girl.
Today, people give flowers, chocolates, teddy bears, other small gifts and cards covered with hearts, flowers and birds on St. Valentine’s Day. It is a day to show love in a tangible way. Early ancestors wrote beautiful love letters. Margery Brews wrote John Paston aValentine letter, in 1477. This letter is part of the “Paston Letters”. Historic poets penned beautifulValentine’s Day verses, notably Charles, Duke of Orleans, between 1415 and 1440.
Knowing a little about the legends related to St. Valentine’s Day will help youcelebrateSt. Valentine’s Dayimaginatively. At least knowing that St. Valentine’s Day is anancient festival, rather than a commercial invention, might encourage the reluctant to “wear their hearts on their sleeves” and join in the fun.
