Holiday History: Valentine's Day
Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day is one of the most celebrated holidays around the world. Most common in the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Australia, Valentine’s Day celebrates love. For most it is taken as love for a significant other, or perhaps to admit your love to someone. For others it is love in general– love for a friend, family, teacher, or maybe even someone you have influenced greatly.
But you cannot deny that, although many of us celebrate it, most of us have no clue as to why. Although the true origins are often heavily disputed, most historians agree that its roots lay in the practices of Ancient Roman Religion.
It was originally the celebration of the Greek/Roman god of fertility- celebrating the coming of spring, birth, and love. Massive parties would be held throughout the cities. Men and women alike would attend to seek love and partnership. Many believed that with the blessing of their gods they were guaranteed to find true love if they tried hard enough. According to many historians, these festivities usually lasted around three whole days- from the thirteenth to fifteenth of February.
The name “Valentine's Day” came years later with the integration and connection of Saint Valentine and the Roman Holiday. Saint Valentine is the Roman Catholic patron saint of true love and marriage.
Valentine was a Christian Priest during a time of great war and expansion within the Roman Empire. The Emperor at the time had banned marriage throughout the empire since only single men could be drafted into the military. With the intense war, he could not afford to lose any men who would be drafted. To prevent men from going to war, and to promote the importance of true love and advocate for it to be a right that is relentlessly defended, Saint Valentine continued to perform marriages in secrecy.
However, this didn't last very long. Soon the emperor had discovered what this priest had been up to, and he quickly ordered his capture. Saint Valentine fought to protect love to the very end, and his death only made him a martyr and a saint.
We now see a mash of both traditions with plenty of influence from other western traditions, and although it has become an extremely commercialized holiday, there's no denying that it is a fun time for plenty of us. It is a beautiful combination of multiple belief systems which truly highlights the values of human companionship and the importance and beauty of having these systems in our life.
References:
Britannica, T. E. (2018, September 05). Valentine's Day. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day
Editors, H. (2009, December 22). History of Valentine's Day. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2
Seipel, A. (2011, February 13). The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day. Retrieved February, 2019, from https://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day