The history of Saint Valentine’s Day is shrouded in folklore. There are legends that speak of three saints, martyred to the cause of love. By some strange co-incidence, all of them were martyred on the same day- February 14.
Saint Valentine
As early as the fourth century B.C., the Romans engaged in an annual young man's rite to passage to the God Lupercus. The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another lottery was staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice... They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier.
According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor Claudius-II who had issued an edict forbidding marriage.
This was around when the heyday of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Learning declined, taxation increased, and trade slumped to a low, precarious level. And the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asian increased their pressure on the empire's boundaries. The empire was grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Thus more of capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and officers. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. So to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage.
Valentine, a bishop , seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the roman gods, to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully.
On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.
While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after.
Valentine thus become a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine's name.
The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.
Other Legends
The second famous St. Valentine was the “Valentine of Terni”. He spread the message of true love, it is said that he had the holiness to perform miracles, like healing the old and infirm. Of course, these were times when Christians were persecuted and he was beheaded for his faith.
The third legend is one of the most influential in the history of St. Valentine’s; he is Valentinius of Alexandria, a Gnostic bishop. He preached the sanctity and importance of marriage, which was different from the growing asceticism of Christian thought.
Legend says that Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Alexandria or both buried along the Via Flaminia outside Rome. In the middle ages, there have been churches dedicated to Saint Valentinus. Several written “Acta” or chronicles of the church have been found about the Valentinus of Terni and Saint Valentinus, speaking of their life and miracles.
If were to look simply at the romantic aspect of the day, then the history of Valentine’s Day goes back to the dawn of western civilization – February was always the month of love. Perhaps because there is a promise of spring ahead and the signs of fertility are all over. The ancient Greeks, governed by their passionate Gods had already set aside the days between mid-January to February to rejoice the love between Zeus and Hera. Later, the ancient Romans, celebrated February 15 as “Lupercalcia” as the day of love.
The first actual renowned written romantic celebration in the history of Saint Valentine’s Day was in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Parliament of Foules”, written in 1382. There are no well-known written anecdotes or poetry of romantic love, associated with Saint Valentine’s Day before this at all. This poem was in honor of the first engagement anniversary of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, they were both fourteen years old. Later with the advent of courtly love in the fifteenth century, the importance of St. Valentine’s Day grew, making writing and receiving love poems on this day a norm. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia refers to it, reflecting its growing popularity.
In the USA, Valentine Day celebrations were a part of the British settlers and it became more popular with the mass production of greeting cards. Eventually the idea expanded and consumerism caught up, until gifts including diamonds and chocolates, became a big business on Valentine’s Day.
Today Valentine’s Day is a major celebration, across the world, and it drives the economic boom for the entire month of February. Yet as we passionately give gifts, or wait for them, let us remember that the most important facet of this day is love. For any relationship to survive, whether it is romantic or platonic love, all you really need is trust and the willingness to go the distance together, side by side.
Saint Valentine
As early as the fourth century B.C., the Romans engaged in an annual young man's rite to passage to the God Lupercus. The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another lottery was staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice... They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier.
According to church tradition St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. At that time the Roman Emperor Claudius-II who had issued an edict forbidding marriage.
This was around when the heyday of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Learning declined, taxation increased, and trade slumped to a low, precarious level. And the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asian increased their pressure on the empire's boundaries. The empire was grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Thus more of capable men were required to be recruited as soldiers and officers. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. So to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage.
Valentine, a bishop , seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. The emperor, impressed with the young priest's dignity and conviction, attempted to convert him to the roman gods, to save him from certain execution. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully.
On February 24, 270, Valentine was executed.
While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after.
Valentine thus become a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine's name.
The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.
Other Legends
The second famous St. Valentine was the “Valentine of Terni”. He spread the message of true love, it is said that he had the holiness to perform miracles, like healing the old and infirm. Of course, these were times when Christians were persecuted and he was beheaded for his faith.
The third legend is one of the most influential in the history of St. Valentine’s; he is Valentinius of Alexandria, a Gnostic bishop. He preached the sanctity and importance of marriage, which was different from the growing asceticism of Christian thought.
Legend says that Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Alexandria or both buried along the Via Flaminia outside Rome. In the middle ages, there have been churches dedicated to Saint Valentinus. Several written “Acta” or chronicles of the church have been found about the Valentinus of Terni and Saint Valentinus, speaking of their life and miracles.
If were to look simply at the romantic aspect of the day, then the history of Valentine’s Day goes back to the dawn of western civilization – February was always the month of love. Perhaps because there is a promise of spring ahead and the signs of fertility are all over. The ancient Greeks, governed by their passionate Gods had already set aside the days between mid-January to February to rejoice the love between Zeus and Hera. Later, the ancient Romans, celebrated February 15 as “Lupercalcia” as the day of love.
The first actual renowned written romantic celebration in the history of Saint Valentine’s Day was in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Parliament of Foules”, written in 1382. There are no well-known written anecdotes or poetry of romantic love, associated with Saint Valentine’s Day before this at all. This poem was in honor of the first engagement anniversary of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, they were both fourteen years old. Later with the advent of courtly love in the fifteenth century, the importance of St. Valentine’s Day grew, making writing and receiving love poems on this day a norm. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia refers to it, reflecting its growing popularity.
In the USA, Valentine Day celebrations were a part of the British settlers and it became more popular with the mass production of greeting cards. Eventually the idea expanded and consumerism caught up, until gifts including diamonds and chocolates, became a big business on Valentine’s Day.
Today Valentine’s Day is a major celebration, across the world, and it drives the economic boom for the entire month of February. Yet as we passionately give gifts, or wait for them, let us remember that the most important facet of this day is love. For any relationship to survive, whether it is romantic or platonic love, all you really need is trust and the willingness to go the distance together, side by side.
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