The History of Valentine's Day
A holiday that dates back to ancient Rome.
Author Robert Clyde Bulla in his book St. Valentine’s Day wrote how the holiday had begun as a celebration with feasts to honor a god named Lupercus who protected people from wolves. Lupercus was an important god because wolves were a great danger in Rome.
Romans no longer worshipped pagan gods such as Lupcercus with the rise of Christianity
However, the holiday had become quite popular. People did not want to give it up so they kept their celebration in February, but instead they honored a man of the church, St. Valentine.
The priest Valentine
One legend contends according to The History Channel’s website that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century when Emperor Claudius II was ruler. Deciding that single men would make better soldiers than those married with children, the Emperor outlawed marriage for young men, which was his league of likely warriors.
‘The History of Valentine’s Day article’ from The History Channel states, “Valentine, realizing the injustice of the degree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.”
While in prison, Valentine was claimed to send the first ‘Valentine’ greeting himself. He fell in love with a young girl, who may have been his jailor’s daughter. She had visited him during his confinement. Before he was executed, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From Your Valentine,” an expression still used today.
Other stories claim that Valentine may have been killed for trying to help Christians escape Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. Even though the truth behind Valentine is somewhat vague, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, stoic and romantic character.
In the 17th century, England began celebrating the holiday. By the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to technological improvements of the printing press.
With the Advent of the Printing Press
Pre-printed cards were easier for people to express their emotions, the article states, in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged.
By the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling her first mass-produced Valentines in America.
This Valentine’s Day, show that special someone in your life how much they mean to you by sending them a heart-felt goodie straight from Cupid’s arrow.
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