Valentine’s Day

Every February you will see more red and pink, and possibly even smell chocolate in the air. Valentine’s Day must be approaching! While in modern times we associate the holiday with candy and gifts for loved ones, it actually has roots in early Roman times. Lupercalia was a Roman festival held on February 15, celebrating fertility and health.

The holiday is also known as Saint Valentine’s Day, and as such honors two people with that name, Valentine of Rome (died in 269) and Valentine of Terni (died in 273). Details are vague, but both were martyred and subsequently made Saints. One or both might have married lovers after an emperor’s ban, resulting in their beheadings, or attempted to convert the emperor (unsuccessfully) to Christianity. Both were buried along the Via Flaminia, a Roman road, albeit in different locations.

While it had its romantic origins in Lupercalia, love didn’t re-enter the holiday until 1382 when Chaucer wrote “Parliament of Fowls.” This work names St. Valentine’s Day as the time when birds choose their mates. However, scholars think Chaucer might actually have been referring to another Valentine’s Day, this time in May, celebrating Valentine of Genoa (died in 307), since the poem was written in celebration of King Richard II’s engagement to Anne of Bohemia that occurred the year prior. 

We see Valentine wishes to “be mine” having their earliest record in the 15th century, and “roses are red …” appeared in Spenser’s The Faerie Queen in 1590. The full phrase in its modern form dates from 1784, appearing in a book of nursery rhymes entitled Gammer Gurton’s Garland.

With the advent of mass production of printing in the 18th century we see the creation of Valentine cards, and widespread celebration of the holiday by the 19th century, as well as gifts including chocolates. The magazine The Economist mentions Valentine’s gifts of stocks, in their January 12, 2000 issue.

So, we can see from this brief overview that Valentine’s Day isn’t just a “Hallmark” holiday but in various ways goes back to ancient times. Now try not to spend too much on heart-shaped chocolate boxes, or more expensive gifts!

For further reading:

Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary

Chase’s Calendar of Events (publishes yearly)

And for younger readers:

Celebrate Valentine’s Day by Carolyn Otto

Happy Holidays – Valentine’s Day by Rebecca Sabelko

 -Dennis, West Windsor Branch