A Brief History Of Valentine's Day

At present, there are three different martyred saints that have the name of Valentinus or Valentine: these saints are still recognized by the Catholic Church.  It is still uncertain which of these Saints are really connected with St. Valentine’s Day, but different theories have evolved over time.

History Of Valentine’s Day: Valentine Saints

In 496 CE, Pope Gelasisus I, named the holiday after one or several different Saints named Valentine.  Later, in the late 1960s, this holiday was removed from the Roman Calendar by Pope Paul VI.  This day did not become associated with romance and love until the concept of courtly love came into being during the Middle Ages.  In the early 1970s, the church completely removed the holiday from religious calendars since so little is known about any of the Valentine Saints or why they were at one time martyred.  By that time, any association with Saint Valentine’s Day with any of the three Saint Valentines had been all but forgotten.  Following the removal of the holiday from Roman religious calendars, the holiday was still celebrated in Balzan since it is believed that the saint’s relics are located there, and Catholic traditionalists also continued to revere the saint on Saint Valentine’s Day.

The Saints revered on St Valentine’s Day include Saint Valentine of Rome, Saint valentine of Terni, and Saint Valentine of France.  Valentine or Rome was a former Roman priest martyred circa 269 CE; his remains were placed at the Via Flaminia.  Today, relics of this Saint can be found at the white Friar Street Carmelite Church: a holy site in Dublin, Ireland, and in a Rome-based church: the Church of Saint Praxed in Rome.  Meanwhile, Valentine of Termi was the bishop of Interamna circa 197 CE.  The latter saint was martyred while persecuted during the rulership of the Emperor Aurelian.  Along with Valentine of Rome, the Valentine of Terni is buried at the Via Flaminia.  Relics  of this saint can be found at the Basilica di San Valentino.  The third Saint Valentine was from France, but little is known about this saint other than that he was martyred along with several of his companions.  When it comes to elements of romance, nothing can be officially associated with the lives of any of the saints herein mentioned.

During the fifteenth century, St Valentine’s Day became a holiday associated with romance.  Handwritten sentiments sent on Valentine’s Day become a common practice during the nineteen century.  Present day symbols associated with the day include things like doves, hearts, arrows, and Cupid.  For more information visit http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day.

History Of Valentine’s Day: Saintly Legends

Not surprisingly, since little is known about the Saint that inspired Saint Valentine’s Day, there are a number of legends about Saint Valentine that have surfaced.  Saint Valentine of Rome was believed to be a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II during the third century after the Emperor had ruled that single men were more desirable soldiers when compared to men with wives and children and therefore forbid young men to marry.  The priest went against the ruling of Claudius II and married young men and women anyway; after the emperor learned of what the priest was doing he ordered his execution.  Alternative legends assert that Valentine aided Christians as they made attempts to escape the confines of prisons in Rome.

Still other legends exist pertaining to Saint Valentine.  One story asserts that Saint Valentine was the very first person to send out a greeting on what is now Valentine’s Day.  The story alleges that the Saint was imprisoned and had fallen in love with a woman.  The story also alleges that Valentine had written love letters to the woman and signed them “from your Valentine.”  Some theories suggest that the holiday of Valentine’s Day is celebrated in February because it is when the Saint passed away.  In contrast, alternative schools of thought suggest that Valentine’s Day was originally celebrated during the month of February in order to align the celebration with Lupercalia, a pagan festival; doing so would allow Christian leaders to transmogrify the holiday into a Christian festival more readily accepted by pagans.  Lupercalia was an annual event in ancient Rome, occurring regularly during the ides of February; the holiday marked the beginning of Spring, rebirth, renewal, and included celebrations honoring Faunus, an agricultural god, as well as Remus and Romulus, the legendary founders of Rome.  Marriages were also common on this day.  For more details visit http://www.infoplease.com/spot/valentinesdayhistory.html.

History Of Valentine’s Day: More Information

In England and France in the Middle Ages, February was considered the month that birds mated; this too lends to the notion of February 14th being the day for lovers.  In 1415, Charles, a Duke of Orleans sent his wife a Valentine Greeting while he was locked away in the Tower of London; this is the oldest Valentine greeting known to date.  A few years later, John Lydgate was hired by King Henry V to write a Valentine greeting for his love Catherine of Valois.  In England, the holiday has been continuously celebrated since the seventeenth century.  In the eighteen century, lovers and friends would commonly share handwritten greetings or tokens of affection.  In the late eighteenth century, printed cards were shared, and by the 1840s, Valentine cards were in mass production; the first to mass-produce the greetings in the United States was Esther A. Howland.

Today, Valentine’s Day is a commonly celebrated holiday.  Nearly one billion cards are sent annually.  Eighty-five percent of all Valentine greeting cards are bought by females.  This holiday is celebrated in Australia, France, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada, despite the broken connection to any religious connotations the holiday once had.  For more details visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/14/history-of-valentines-day_n_822911.html.