Valentine's Day - A Look at its Origins
Valentine's Day - A Look at its Origins
Valentine's Day, the day of love, has roots in several traditions, including the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which took place on February 15th. This ancient Roman pagan festival is believed to have originated well before the 6th century B.C. The Lupercal cave, central to the myth of Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, later became an important site for the Lupercalia festival. According to History.com, King Amulius ordered Romulus and Remus, his twin nephews and founders of Rome, to be thrown into the Tiber River to drown
It was believed that the river god carried the basket and the brothers downriver to a wild fig tree where it became caught in the branches. The brothers were then rescued and cared for by a she-wolf in a den at the base of Palatine Hill, where Rome was founded.
These rituals took place in a few locations: the Lupercal Cave, Palatine Hill, and within a public meeting place in Rome called the Comitium. The festival began at the Lupercal Cave with the sacrifice of one or more male goats and a dog. The male goat is said to represent sexuality. The rituals were performed by Roman priests called Luperci. The priests participated in rituals involving the blood of the sacrificed animals.
After the ritual sacrifice, they feasted. Once the feast was over, the Luperci would cut strips from the goat hides. They ran partially clothed around the Palatine Hill, whipping any woman within striking distance with the hides. This was believed to make the women more fertile.
During this festival, the men randomly chose a woman's name from a jar to be coupled with. They often stayed together until the next year's festival. Many times they fell in love and married.
Valentine's Day is mostly known to be associated with St. Valentine. There were believed to be more than one Valentine after whom the day was commemorated. The most common one dates back to the 3rd century A.D. Emperor Claudius II believed that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers, so he prohibited the marriage of young people. Valentine, a Roman priest, secretly married young couples because of Claudius's edict. Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned, and, according to some accounts, martyred for performing the secret marriages that the emperor forbade.
During his imprisonment, it was said that he healed the jailer's daughter of blindness by praying to God, causing the jailer to become a Christian as a result. In 269 A.D., Valentine was sentenced to a three-part execution: beating, stoning, and beheading, because of what he stood for. His last words before he died were left on a note to the jailer's daughter, and he signed it "from your Valentine." This legend, among others, contributed to the romantic image of St. Valentine.
In the late 5th century A.D., Pope Gelasius declared February 14th a day to celebrate the martyrdom of St. Valentine, likely in an attempt to supplant the pagan festival, Lupercalia. However, the day continued to be associated with themes of love and fertility.
As the years went on, the holiday became more romanticized, mainly because of the work of Chaucer and Shakespeare. Handmade paper cards became tokens of love in the Middle Ages. Eventually, the tradition made its way to the "New World." In the 19th century, factory-made cards were mass-produced by Hallmark.
Valentine's Day also incorporates symbolic colors, such as red, often associated with love, and white, representing purity and new beginnings. These colors may have roots in earlier traditions.
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Sources:
History.com -
CBN, The Christian Broadcasting Network -
NPR, National Public Radio -
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