The origins are really much, much darker than what the lighthearted celebration shows today. Before I tell you the stories of its past, it’s important to know that the Valentine’s Day narratives are debated. That said, the first, and most horrid occurrence of mid-February celebrations are said to have been in ancient Rome, under the name of Lupercalia. It was a three day festival in association with the group of priests called Luperci, commencing with the sacrifice of goats and a dog. After a disturbing ritual involving knives, blood, milk, wool and required laughter from the priests, a sacrificial feast began. Where is the romance in this, you ask? Well, once the animal tails had been cut off, women were hit with them – with the hope of making them fertile. There was also a matchmaking lottery, where for the time of the festival or longer, couples were forced together. So really, there wasn’t much love involved.
Someone had to put an end to the awfulness, and that happened to be Pope Gelasius I, who in 494 disallowed participation in the festival. At this point in time, historians debate what he proceeded to do. Either Lupercalia was replaced by the Feast of Purification on February 2nd, or more widely believed, the Pope decided to honour the christian martyr St. Valentine, even though the romantic origin of Valentine’s Day is likely from a later date.
Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus took the life of a Christian priest named Valentine about 270CE on February 14th, and since then his death anniversary has become a Christian feast day. The legend is that he wrote a letter to his jailer’s daughter whom he had befriended, signing off with “from your Valentine” – some even say he healed her from blindness (the truth of this is open to debate, but who knows). Another tale suggests that he went against orders and secretly married couples. Therefore, his mid-February celebration is now associated with love.
An alternative account believes that it was a bishop of Terni with the same name and also a martyr, who the holiday is named after. Amusingly enough, the tales line up to a surprising extent, and they are most likely about the same individual. It is hard to believe that there is truth to any of the stories. However, there are relics, supposedly Valentine’s physical remains – some which reached the royal chapel at Windsor, England – so someone existed under his name.
Almost another millennia passed before the celebrations started taking a similar form to today’s, mostly because of the writings of England’s most renowned poets, in addition to the notes of a Bishop.
Author of The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, started a love-bird narrative in the 14th century. Observing birds engaging in courtship rituals on this date, he wrote “For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day. When every bird comes there to choose his mate.”
Of course, such a tradition of love cannot exist without the influence of Shakespeare, and he massively contributed to its rise in popularity. He directly refers to the celebration a century after Chaucer in A Midsummernight’s Dream, and Hamlet, writing “Tomorrow is St. Valentine’s Day. All in the morning betime, / And I a maid at your window, / To be your Valentine”, suggesting that the two who meet in the morning of Valentine’s, are likely to end up betrothed..
At this time, valentines and formal messages appeared, and the first evidence of written greetings comes from the 18th century. With the industrial revolution, Saint Valentine’s Day moved away from its Christian roots, and the “Saint” aspect was removed as the celebration became commercialised. Printed cards became popular – in 1880, the English post sent over 1.5 million greeting cards. During the world wars, the industry broke down, but was resurrected halfway through the 20th century, and today – well, everyone can see how the market profits off of the celebration of Valentine’s Day.
Even though the origins are often forgotten and the religious aspect disregarded, the Roman god of love, Cupid, remains with us in stores and on cards. Once again, it seems that there is truth to the statement that all roads lead to Rome. We will likely keep celebrating the 14th of February, most of us still unknowing of its roots. There is something sweet about a day dedicated to showing appreciation for those closest to you, and it is by far better than whipping women with animal tails.
The history of the “day of love” is surprisingly terrifying, yet interesting, and it also is evidence of how interconnected parts of history are. Romans, literary influences, and the industrial revolution reappear in an unbelievable number of stories, and that might be the wonder of history and the human race – we are all bound together in one way or another.
