When Valentine's Day is discussed people immediately think of romance.
You have Cupid shooting his arrow as love blossoms. You have people popping the question at a romantic location. You have couples sharing flowers, chocolates and cards – lots of cards – on a day geared toward romantic love.
Valentine's Day, though, wasn't always like that. In fact, romance had very little to do with the holiday.
What's the dark truth about Valentine's Day?
The holiday's origins, according to npr.com, date back to ancient Rome where the feast of Lupercalia was celebrated from Feb. 13 to 15. Lupercalia honored Lupa the she-wolf who nursed and sheltered Romulus and Remus and was aimed to please the Roman fertility god Lupercus, according to History.com.
During the festival, Roman men would sacrifice a goat and a dog. The men would then run around naked or nearly naked, hitting women with the hide of the freshly killed animals. Women would line up to be hit, believing it would make them fertile. The women's names were then placed in a jar and the men would draw a name to see who they would be paired with for the remainder of the festival.
When did Valentine's Day become about love and stuff?
According to History.com, Pope Gelasius I, to expel pagan rituals, combined the festival with St. Valentine's Day in the fifth century. The holiday seemed to mature from the revelry of ancient Rome to a day of romantic love over time. Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare wrote about love and Valentine's Day and during the middle ages people exchanged Valentine's Day cards, according to npr.com.
It was around 1913 when Valentine's Day literally became a Hallmark holiday. The card maker started to mass produce valentines and from that point the romance and commercialism went into overdrive. Today, you have everyone getting in on the Valentine's Day act with items like Valentine's Day cake pops at Starbucks, Love Bug doughnuts at Dunkin', heart-shaped doughnuts at Krispy Kreme, special Little Debbie cakes or a Blizzard Cupid Cake at Dairy Queen.
In modern times people celebrate the day by buying their sweethearts presents and flowers and taking them out to dinner, basically showering them with affection.
Who was St. Valentine?
There have beenmultiple St. Valentines, so it is unclear whoisthe true namesakefor the holiday.
One Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defiedEmperor Claudius II after the ruler outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine would perform marriages in secret for young lovers, ultimately leading to his death.
Another Valentine, St. Valentine of Terni,was a bishop who wasbeheaded by Emperor Claudius. Many believeheis the namesake behind the holiday, according to the History Channel.
There are many other legends of "St. Valentine," including one of animprisoned saint sending thefirst "Valentine" greeting after falling in lovewith a young girl who often visited him. Before his death, the saint allegedly wrote her a letter signed: "From your Valentine."
While the true story of Valentine's Day remains a mystery, most portray the saint as a heroic, kind, and romantic person.
Olivia Munson contributed to this story.
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FAQs
When did Valentine's Day become about love and stuff? According to History.com, Pope Gelasius I, to expel pagan rituals, combined the festival with St. Valentine's Day in the fifth century. The holiday seemed to mature from the revelry of ancient Rome to a day of romantic love over time.
What is the origin or origins of Valentine's day? ›
Valentine's Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century. Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 ce by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.
What is the true story behind Valentine's day? ›
Turns out, it was a pretty common name during Late Antiquity. As far as anyone can tell, the Saint Valentine of Valentine's Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day.
Why has Valentine's day become associated with mystery? ›
As one legend goes, Valentine was a third-century Roman priest around 270 CE who continued to perform marriages even after Emperor Claudius II outlawed the rite for young men he preferred become soldiers. Valentine was eventually put to death when Claudius discovered what he was up to, according to History.com.
What is the pagan origin of Valentine's day? ›
Lupercalia. Lupercalia was a major festival on the Roman calendar and was commemorated every year on February 15. It was held in honour of the gods Faunus and Lupercus, the gods of agriculture and fertility. It also honoured the mythological founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.
How did Valentine's day become about love? ›
The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring.
What is the dark history of Valentine's day? ›
One Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defied Emperor Claudius II after the ruler outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine would perform marriages in secret for young lovers, ultimately leading to his death.
What is the deeper meaning of Valentine's day? ›
While the date is meant to honor Saint Valentine's death and burial, which supposedly occurred in mid-February around 270 AD, some historians believe the date could reflect the Catholic Church's attempt to replace the ancient Pagan celebration of Lupercalia — a fertility festival for the pagan agricultural god Faunus — ...
What is the actual meaning of Valentine? ›
1. : a sweetheart chosen or complimented on Valentine's Day. 2. a. : a gift or greeting sent or given especially to a sweetheart on Valentine's Day.
What does the Bible say about Valentine's day? ›
1 John 4:7-12. Dear friends: let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Some believe Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 because that is when Saint Valentine was killed or buried. Others claim the date has to do with the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, which was a days-long celebration that would start on February 13 and end on February 15.
Should Christians celebrate Valentine's day? ›
If that works for you, do it. But the biblical pattern teaches us that romantic love between husband and wife should be on display often and much. It isn't that celebrating Valentine's Day is too much; it is too little and weak. Christians, live your married years so that you don't need Valentine's Day.
What weird history fact can we find about Valentine's day? ›
Some trace Valentine's Day origins to a Christian effort to replace a pagan fertility festival that has been dated as far back as the 6th century B.C. During the festival of Lupercalia, Roman priests would sacrifice goats and dogs and use their blood-soaked hides to slap women on the streets, as a fertility blessing.
What is the true story of Valentine's day? ›
According to NPR, Emperor Claudius II of Rome executed two different men named Valentine on February 14 (in two different years) during the third century. One account of St. Valentine says that he was a priest who was arrested for defying a Roman decree that forbade soldiers from marrying.
Why did Valentine's day become a holiday? ›
Valentine is likely based on a combination of two Valentines who were executed on February 14 in different years by Roman Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century A.C.E., according to NPR. The Catholic Church maybe have established St. Valentine's Day to honor these two martyrs.
What is the purpose of Valentine's day? ›
What is Valentine's Day? St Valentine's Day is an annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration. Every year on 14 February people celebrate this day by sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends.
What is the spiritual meaning of Valentine's day? ›
While the holiday has undergone secularization over time, its origins in Christian martyrdom and acts of love align with broader spiritual themes of compassion, selflessness, and devotion. For some, Valentine's Day serves as a reminder of the importance of love in both human relationships and spiritual practice.
What does the word "valentine" mean? ›
The name Valentine comes from a Latin word meaning “strength.” There are many legends about it, but it's ultimately unclear how Valentine's Day became associated with the tradition of exchanging the affectionate gifts and love notes that we call valentines.
