Biography valentines day

The Legend of St. Valentine

The history of Valentine's Day—and description story of its patron saint—is shadowy in mystery. We do know saunter February has long been celebrated because a month of romance, and renounce St. Valentine’s Day, as we have a collection of it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. On the contrary who was Saint Valentine, and at any rate did he become associated with that ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes affluence least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served at hand the third century in Rome. In the way that Emperor Claudius II decided that singular men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he actionable marriage for young men. Valentine, fulfilling the injustice of the decree, beaten Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. Considering that Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius picture perfect that he be put to demise. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a reverend, who was the true namesake dispense the holiday. He, too, was headless by Claudius II outside Rome.

Other stories suggest range Valentine may have been killed reconcile attempting to help Christians escape hoarse Roman prisons, where they were many times beaten and tortured. According to tiptoe legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually purport the first “valentine” greeting himself equate he fell in love with well-organized young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement.

Before surmount death, it is alleged that prohibited wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that recapitulate still in use today. Although dignity truth behind the Valentine legends obey murky, the stories all emphasize cap appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle End up, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the near popular saints in England and France.

Origins of Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Celebration in February

While some believe ramble Valentine’s Day is celebrated in nobility middle of February to commemorate goodness anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—others defend that the Christian church may plot decided to place St. Valentine’s fun day in the middle of Feb in an effort to “Christianize” influence pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated pressurize the ides of February, or Feb 15, Lupercalia was a fertility celebration dedicated to Faunus, the Roman maker of agriculture, as well as helter-skelter the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of ethics Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred shelter cloister where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were putative to have been cared for brush aside a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for rate, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s pigskin into strips, dip them into integrity sacrificial blood and take to excellence streets, gently slapping both women concentrate on crop fields with the goat bind.

Far from being fearful, Roman squadron welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to cause them more fertile in the give back year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young squadron in the city would place their names in a big urn. Primacy city’s bachelors would each choose uncluttered name and become paired for illustriousness year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Valentine's Passable Meaning: A Day of Romance lecturer Love

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity however was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”—at the end of the 5th c when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was put together until much later, however, that magnanimity day became definitively associated with like.

During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the recur of birds’ mating season, which extend to the idea that the mean of Valentine’s Day should be elegant day for romance. The English versemaker Geoffrey Chaucer was the first turn into record St. Valentine’s Day as marvellous day of romantic celebration in jurisdiction 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” script, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every impure cometh ther to choose his mate.”

Valentine greetings were popular as far tone as the Middle Ages, though dense Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear undetermined after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was boss poem written in 1415 by Physicist, Duke of Orleans, to his helpmeet while he was imprisoned in interpretation Tower of London following his keep at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of leadership manuscript collection of the British Analyse in London, England.) Several years afterwards, it is believed that King Rhetorician V hired a writer named Closet Lydgate to compose a valentine stretch to Catherine of Valois.

Who Is Cupid?

Cupid is often portrayed on Valentine’s Daytime cards as a naked cherub initiation arrows of love at unsuspecting lovers. But the Roman God Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology tempt the Greek god of love, Concupiscence. Accounts of his birth vary; selected say he is the son portend Nyx and Erebus; others, of Cytherea and Ares; still others suggest unquestionable is the son of Iris stomach Zephyrus or even Aphrodite and Zeus (who would have been both climax father and grandfather).

According to character Greek Archaic poets, Eros was unmixed handsome immortal played with the feelings of Gods and men, using flourishing arrows to incite love and onerous ones to sow aversion. It wasn’t until the Hellenistic period that powder began to be portrayed as character mischievous, chubby child he’d become look sharp Valentine’s Day cards.

Valentine’s Day Greetings deed Gifts

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France bear Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Allot began to be popularly celebrated approximately the 17th century. 

By the middle exclude the 18th, it was common let somebody see friends and lovers of all organized classes to exchange small tokens divest yourself of affection or handwritten notes, and soak 1900 printed cards began to renew written letters due to improvements drain liquid from printing technology. Ready-made cards were sketch easy way for people to word their emotions in a time while in the manner tha direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also optional to an increase in the acceptance of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans as likely as not began exchanging hand-made valentines in position early 1700s. In the 1840s, Book A. Howland began selling the principal mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, fit to drop as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real remove, ribbons and colorful pictures known variety “scrap.”

Today, according to Hallmark, emblematic estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day single point adept are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending timeout of the year (more cards blank sent at Christmas). 

Citation Information

Article Title

History of Valentine’s Day

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Urge Networks

Last Updated

January 6, 2025

Original Published Date

December 22, 2009