By Sara Simon
Every year on February the 14th, couples across Canada and other Western countries celebrate Valentine's Day, also known as the “day of love”. Despite its annual celebration, the historical origins of Valentine's Day are not common knowledge, with the origins of its traditions shrouded in mystery. This post will explore the history of Valentine's Day and debunk common misconceptions and myths, shedding light on the history of the heart and chocolate themed day.
One common misunderstanding of Valentine's Day comes from the name of the celebration itself. The original name of the holiday was actually Saint Valentine's Day, named after the Catholic saint. However, the name of the holiday is further misunderstood, as the church officially recognizes three different Saint Valentines. This is also notable as each of the three figures the holiday could be named after were far removed from concepts of love, as all of them were killed brutally. One of the most common narratives of Saint Valentine stems from his persecution under Emperor Claudius II of the Roman Empire. In this narrative, Valentine was executed for defying the rule of the emperor and practising Christianity. This story claims that as part of his defiance, he continued to marry couples under Christian tradition, providing his sole connection to ideas of love. The other two figures who the holiday could have stemmed from also faced similar harsh deaths, with one beheaded by the same emperor for a difference in religious understanding. Lastly, the third Valentine was claimed to have tried to free those imprisoned in Roman prisons before being locked up himself. This Valentine is most likely where the idea of a Valentines card came from, as he supposedly addressed a letter sent from prison as being “from your Valentine”. These conflicting stories present a holiday created from the combination of narratives, with different aspects of the holiday coming from different figures. Furthermore, these stories illustrate the less than idyllic origins of the Valentine's Day myth.
The understanding of Valentine's Day as being held on the most romantic day of the year is also somewhat historically inaccurate. Some narratives claim that the date was related to the death of Valentine, but this is hard to know, as it could be in relation to any of the three Valentines. Some historians also believe that it is held on this date due to the celebration originating as an attempt to Christianise the Pagan holiday of Lupercalia, which celebrated fertility and was held on February 15th. Even after attempts to change the holiday, February 14th was not originally a celebration of love, functioning as a religious celebration. The holiday eventually evolved into a celebration of love in the Middle Ages, largely in part to its coincidental coincidence with the start of the bird's mating season. When combined with the stories of Valentine, and its possible original origins in fertility celebration, Valentine's Day emerged as a celebration of love, eventually moving past its religious connotations into the holiday of the modern times.
This year on Valentine's Day, in between gift giving and chocolate eating, take a second to consider the historical origins of your favourite holidays and consider the stories and traditions that inspired our modern ones.
References
“St. Valentine.” Encyclopædia Britannica, February 9, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Valentine.
“Valentine’s Day 2024: Origins, Background & Traditions.” History.com. Accessed February 12, 2024. https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2.
Image Retrieved From:
BHOFACK2. Valentine’s Day Hearts. n.d. Valentine’s Day. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/celebrations/article/valentines-day.