Saint Valentine

By Aldara Hernandez

Every year on February 14, everyone goes a little nutty thinking about cards, candy, balloons, and chocolates. But why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day and where did it come from?

Actually no one knows for sure, when Valentine’s Day comes from or why, but it is commonly thought that it dates back to the ancient Romans. They celebrated a festival called the feast of Luperacalia. While the men sacrificed goats and dogs, the women would line up to be whipped with the hides of the animals that were just slain. The thought behind this was that it would make the women more fertile.

So why is it called Valentine’s Day if it was the feast of Luperacalia? Well, Roman Emperor Claudius II executed two men named Valentine, in the 3rd century. They were martyrs, dying for a cause, and their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. It was still celebrated as a day of fertility and love.

The name of Valentine’s Day most likely comes from the Valentine executed in Rome. The emperor was anti-Christian and he was executed for helping young Roman soldiers to marry, which was against the law at the time. So, he gave his life to help young men and women marry, when it was against the law.

This makes shopping for flowers and candies seem tame by comparison. Actually, our idea of Valentine’s Day dates back to the English Middle Ages, when homemade paper cards became a thing.

One of the first Hallmark Valentine cards.

It was American industry; we’re looking at you Hallmark Cards Company; that began mass producing valentine’s cards in 1913. Then candy makers got in on the act of a day of love with candies and then other items.

We don’t all celebrate Valentine’s Day though. According to the NFR (National Retail Federation) even though spending for Valentine’s Day will be at an all time high this year, for the first time topping $20 billion, less people as a percentage are actually celebrating the holiday.

The younger you are the more likely you are to celebrate the holiday, the highest percentage of participants are those under 35. However, the top reasons for NOT celebrating are that people consider it over-commercialized, they didn’t have anyone to celebrate with (one is the loneliest number) or they were not interested anymore.

So, while we don’t run around smacking each other with goat skins anymore, (thank goodness) we do still commemorate sacrifices made for love and how to express that love. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sources:
https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/who-was-saint-valentine-the-patron-saint-of-lover
https://www.npr.org/2011/ 02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day
https://nrf.com/blog/love-still-air
https://www.history.com