On Feb. 14, people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day with flowers, candy, gifts, and professions of love. Few people, though, know the true history behind this holiday that has almost as much universal appeal as Christmas.
You might be amazed to learn that the holiday we know as Valentine’s Day, though thought by many to be in celebration of the death of Saint Valentine in A.D. 270, is actually believed by scholars to be a holiday set in the middle of February by the Christian church in an effort to ‘Christianize’ the pagan celebration of Lupercalla, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture.
One of the rituals of Lupercalla involved young women placing their names on slips of paper in a large urn. Village bachelors would pick a name and be matched with their chosen woman for a year. Marriages often resulted from these matches. Cupid with his little bow and arrow is based on the Greed god of love, Eros.
Valentine greetings were common during the middle ages, with written ones popular after 1400. In the 1840s, American artist and business woman Esther Howland designed and began selling mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards, popularizing them in the United States.
No one is actually sure who the mysterious St. Valentine was. The Catholic Church recognizes three Saint Valentines, all from different periods, making it possible to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day in February, November, January, or July, depending on your preference. In fact, in some cultures, there is actually two different holidays.
One other juicy tidbit that not many people know is that Valentine’s Day hasn’t always been a holiday about love and affection. In the 1830s and 1840s, it was also a practice to send cards to people one didn’t like, with sentiments that were the opposite of liking. These were called Vinegar Valentines, and some of them were scathing. Something to think about if there’s someone in your life that you’d like to unload on but would prefer not to do it face-to-face. I can just picture it. You send a card to your landlord who has refused to fix the cracks in your apartment’s ceiling that says, ‘Roses are red, violets are blue. Fix my ceiling or no rent for you.’
I remember Valentine’s Day when I was a kid. In my little country school we would all make crude valentines and send them to the person in school that we had a secret crush on. A naturally shy kid, I never signed mine, so my secret crushes remained secret from everyone but me. In the digital age, paper cards are becoming passe. Far too easy to go to one of the Internet e-Card sites, pick one out, and email it to everyone you like. Most of them even let you know when a recipient opens your card; something you don’t have when you put one in the mailbox.
I hope I haven’t spoiled what might most of you readers favorite holiday. Then again, maybe knowing the true origins of this day of days will make it even more special to you. After all, if you celebrate it you’ll be carrying on a tradition that dates back almost to the beginnings of what we know as recorded history – keeping the ancient traditions alive. Now, isn’t that something to warm your heart? – NWI
