How did Valentine's Day start?

As Valentine’s Day approaches, it’s a chance for couples to reaffirm their love and commitment to each other. However, while it has become a day to celebrate romance, love, and more, the origins of this festival lie in murkier waters. Even then, no one has quite managed to pinpoint the origins of the holiday, giving it several interpretations.

How did Valentine's Day start?

Unfortunately, there’s no exact date or origin for Valentine’s Day. Instead, many historians tend to look towards ancient Rome, where they celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. This took place between 13 and 15 February, where men sacrificed a dog and a goat, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just killed. This was done because it was believed that this would make them fertile. The brutal festival also included a lottery where men would draw the names of women from a jar and be paired up with them for the duration of the fete, or even longer if they preferred.

This was, however, considered to be a pagan ritual by the time Christianity had spread across the planet, and by the 5th century AD, Pope Gelasius I had outlawed the festival. He is now credited with creating and muddling things by merging St. Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia. This combined with St. Valentine being the patron saint of lovers eventually led, through the different ages, into the current iteration of Valentine’s Day.

That was partly thanks to authors like William Shakespeare, Chaucer, and more who romanticized the festival, which meant that Valentine's greetings were popular even in the Middle Ages. The tradition even held its ground in the Industrial Revolution which led to the mass production of factory-made cards and the rest is history.

Who was St Valentine?

Known as the patron saint of lovers, people with epilepsy, and beekeepers among other things, St. Valentine’s actual history is muddled and unknown. Even modern-day historians aren’t exactly sure as to who the man or person actually was because of the number of stories present. One story points to the fact that St. Valentine was a Roman priest who refused to convert to paganism and was executed. Another points to the fact that St. Valentine was executed because he performed weddings for soldiers who were forbidden from getting married by Claudius II.

The third suggests that St. Valentine was killed for helping Christians escape the horrible Roman prisons, where they were often tortured and beaten. All three are recognized by the Catholic church although there is a fourth story that points towards the idea that St. Valentine may have sent the first ‘Valentine’s greetings’ himself while he was imprisoned. He is said to have wrote a letter, before his death, and signed it ‘From your Valentine’, a phrase that is still in use today.

Also read: Popular Flowers for Valentine's Day