The long history behind Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is not just another Hallmark play for business or the worst night to go out for dinner. The happy hearts day has quite a history.
Everybody knows Valentine’s Day is a great time to remember those we love with cards, flowers, candy and those chocolate-dipped strawberries at Buehler’s.
But it’s not just another Hallmark play for business or the worst night to go out for dinner. The happy hearts day has quite a history.
First off, for anybody who forgot, Valentine’s Day is always Feb. 14. The date was established at the end of the fifth century by Pope Gelasius, who declared the day St. Valentine’s Day. Holidays were often lumped together, so the new Valentine’s Day was placed on the calendar right next to Lupercalia, which was celebrated Feb. 15.
Lupercalia was a fertility celebration, and this is one theory why Valentine’s Day ended up being about love.
There were at least three different saints called Valentine recognized by the Catholic Church (and some say a lot more), but little was known about them, and there were conflicting reports. In 1969 the day was removed from the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar because of this.
There are several legends around the Saint Valentines; however, the one that persisted and became the holiday celebrated today may have come from Saint Valentine, a Roman priest who performed weddings for soldiers even though they were forbidden to marry. He wore a ring with a Cupid on it, and back before greetings cards, he shared paper hearts to remind people of their love of God.
According to Real Simple, “Because of this legend, Saint Valentine became known as the patron saint of love. The Saint Valentine prayer asks Saint Valentine to connect lovers together so that two become one and the couple remembers their devotion to God.”
Still, it was Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th century poem “The Parliament of Fowls” — talking about birds finding their mates in the spring — that seems to have started the trend toward using the day to share a sign of love with a romantic partner. “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day/Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”
According to history.com, “The oldest known Valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later it is believed King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a Valentine note to Catherine of Valois.”
Esther Howland sold America’s first mass-produced Valentine’s beginning in the 1840s. Today, Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas as a card-sending holiday.
In much more recent times, Amy Poehler’s character on the TV show “Parks and Recreation” popularized the notion of Galentine’s Day — celebrating friends.
If you want to dazzle your Valentine with trivia knowledge, Real Simple shared some trivia connected with the love day:
—In the Victorian era, “vinegar Valentines” were sometimes given to discourage an unwanted suitor.
—More than 250 million roses are grown for the holiday.
—Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days to propose marriage.
One thing’s for certain: If your Valentine’s Day plans include dinner out, best to make those reservations ASAP. And for those in need of a fresh supply of chocolate, Feb. 15 is always a great day to shop for half-price chocolate hearts.