Valentine’s Day is February 14th all around the world, and celebrated as a day of romance and exchanging flowers and gifts between loved ones. It’s all done in the name of Saint Valentine.

Do any of us actually know who this mysterious Saint was though?

If not, we are here to set the record straight. Kind of.

It’s said by history.com that the history of Valentine’s Day, and the history of its patron Saint, are “shrouded” with mystery.

The lovers month of February has long celebrated romance, and has roots tied to both Christian and ancient Roman tradition.

“The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome, (history.com).”

There are other renditions of the patron Saint that suggest Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons.

Another legend suggests the first “valentine” greeting was sent from prison by St. Valentine to a young woman he had fallen in love with after she came to visit him in prison. Before his death, it’s said that he wrote her a letter signed, “From your Valentine.” And as you probably know, that is a phrase still used today.

The truth behind the Valentine legends seems murky, and stories have circulated for centuries. Regardless of the slightly uncertain facts about St. Valentine, all tales point to him being a sympathetic hero who emphasized romance and compassion.

“By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France, (history.com).”

There is yet another legend regarding the Lover’s Holiday though that is coined to be related to the Roman, pagan holiday, Lupercalia, which is a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. The holiday was on February 15th every year in Rome, and involved animal sacrifices and the random draw matching of a pair for the following year.

The history of Lupercalia is quite unconventional, and it’s said that the early-Christians chose February 14th as the day for Valentine’s Day to distract from Lupercalia, and eventually the holiday was outlawed altogether for its “un-Christian” activities and beliefs.

In the 5th Century, Pope Gelasius officially declared February 14th, St. Valentine’s Day, but the holiday wasn’t celebrated as a romantic holiday until much later.

“During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,’ (history.com).”

This is where the Valentine greeting became popular, and where Valentine’s Day as we know it today originated from.

Resources:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2