‘Died for Love’ – The Real History of Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is literally somebody’s wish come true. It was really never meant for romance but our ancestors somehow made it happen. Valentine’s Day is the only holiday truly and solely created by human unity and romantic creativity. Yes, we all know that the name comes from a saint but, no offense, saints aren’t really who we imagine when we think of romance. If they are for you though, no judgment. Anyway, the real history of Valentine’s Day is more than just a saint or three. Here’s the real story.   

Romans and their parties

Need some party tips? Ask the ancient Romans. They definitely don’t hold back. If dirty dancing is the thing nowadays, naked dancing was the Romans’ take. Unlike today, however, they didn’t do it to get laid. It was part of a celebration. 

Every February 15, the males ran around the city happy, oiled, and naked. They gently whipped the women and crops they passed with thongs of animal skin. They’re said to be copying Faunus, the god whom they’re celebrating. If that’s not a sight of madness in itself, note that the women actually lined up for this. Afterwards, women would put their names in a jar. Then the men would pluck out the name of their partner for the festival. 2000 years ago and the Romans were already so far ahead and so much better in the matchmaking game. Their names didn’t have fake pictures tagging along. 

This was all part of the festival called Lupercalia. According to listverse.com, it was a festival of purification and fertility. They believed that the thongs, dipped in sacrificial goat and puppy blood, granted women fertility. This explains the matchmaking afterward. They were pretty straightforward at that. The history of Valentine’s Day isn’t as innocent as it seems. Lo and behold the mother festival of Valentine’s Day. The apple does actually fall close to the tree, doesn’t it? A lot less bold, yes, but still the same with all the hoping, yearning and hormones. Coincidentally, the thongs were called februa, the root word of February. The love month is basically named after thongs used for whipping women into fertility. 

Third time’s the charm for Valentine

Thousands of years ago, three devout Valentine’s were all executed on February 14. Only two of them, however, are fighting for the title of ‘The Saint Valentine’. Talk about a love triangle. Here’s the part of the history of Valentine’s Day where we talk about how it got such a catchy name.  

Saint Valentine of Rome

His story takes place in the reign of Emperor Claudius II, the Hitler of pagan Rome. One of Claudius the Cruel’s accomplishments is banning marriage for young men. Why? Like any narrow-minded man, he thought women and family made these men weak and unwilling to join his army.

St. Valentine, being a devout Christian, defied the ban. He married couples in secret and tried to spread Christianity. When he was caught, his jailer challenged his faith. And staying true to the biblical cliché, the man brought a cripple. He brought his blind daughter to Valentine and told him to heal her. Miraculously, he healed the girl. But Claudius wasn’t impressed. He ordered Valentine to convert to paganism. And what did the martyr do? Valentine tried to convert the emperor instead. He was the last person he tried to convert. He was beaten and stoned before being decapitated.

It is said that he had befriended the girl he healed. A more romantic version says he fell in love with her. Before his death, he left her a note and signed it ‘From your Valentine’.  The most iconic line in Valentine’s history is actually a farewell salute. See how that hurts? 

St. Valentine of Terni

His greatest work wasn’t marrying couples in secret. He was more into the converting business. Some lesser known stories say that he’s connected with the notion of romantic love because he was the first priest to oversee the union of a pagan man and a Christian woman. Another story goes that the custom of giving flowers to a beloved was inspired by him. St. Valentine greeted his visitors with flowers from his own garden. Two of these visitors fell in love and it was said that the union was so joyous that people soon followed suit. But all the same, he died for love too. 

For the love of God, the third St. Valentine was completely different just because he died in Africa. No wonder they had to make a holiday for these men. They’re the epitome of loyalty. Maybe people should take a lesson or three from them. 

Christianity and its adoptions

When Rome was converted to Christianity, the changed pagans held onto Lupercalia. An old tradition is hard to let go like old lovers. The 5th century has seen the last of the festival. This is when Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 as St. Valentine’s day. This is where people moved on in the history of Valentine’s day. Christianity graciously adopted Lupercalia and Christians combined the purification idea to that of Godly love.

Chaucer and his birds

One fine day, Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of The Canterbury Tales, wrote King Henry II and Anne of Bohemia a poem for their engagement.  There, Chaucer associated the saintly feast of St. Valentine to the matchmaking of fowls. Written in the late 1300’s where courtly love was at its most fashionable, of course, people were quick to make it about them and not the birds. There goes the real history of Valentine’s day as we know it. The real culprit is Chaucer. And also Shakespear who joined the bandwagon 200 years later in Hamlet. He’s basically the one who started the please be my valentine craze. 

‘From your Valentine’ notes

And for the written rainbows and glitters, you can blame Rapunzel minus the hair. The first ever Valentine’s letter came from Charles, the Duke of Orleans. He made the letter for his wife when he was imprisoned in a tower after being defeated in battle.  It seems that he wanted kisses more than help.

A few years later, King Henry V paid someone to write his valentine’s letter to Catherine of Valois. At least Charles was original.

Men’s originality in their valentine’s notes seems to have easily declined. It actually drove someone mad enough to create ‘The Young Man’s Valentine Writer’ in 1797. The book helped men to be more creative and expressive in their valentine’s notes.

When the English Victorians actually started getting into letter writing, they purposely wrote it to smite the single. It was the Americans who started the secret admirer tradition. It’s why they loved the mailing service so much. The Americans were a little bit more polite.

To take the cake, it was a woman who claimed the titles for the history of Valentine’s day. It is now the second most loved and second richest holiday in the world. Instead of entertaining her admirer, Esther Howland thought of making a better valentine’s card than the one she received. You go, Esther! Teach girls how it’s really done. And because she did make better ones, the Valentine’s card business set off. 

Businessmen only caught up to her innovation by the late 1900’s. They started advertising the gifts of chocolates, flowers, and diamonds. People gobbled it up. So you don’t have to wonder why Valentine’s is such a big thing. Love makes the world go round. And from there, the history of Valentine’s day goes on to evolve.