Mujeebat Adewole
Yearly, millions of lovers across the world celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th of February when candies, flowers, chocolates, and other lovely gifts are shared to symbolize the lover’s Day. However, the main symbol of this day is St. Valentine.
Do you know the real history behind Valentine’s Day and how this day became a worldwide celebrated event?
With several legends behind the history of the world celebrating Valentine’s Day, it is not known exactly what the true source is. As per one legend, the 14th of February was celebrated in honor of Juno, a queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was the protector of women and marriage.
Yearly on the 15th of February, the ancient Romans celebrated the spring festival tagged ‘Lupercalis or Lupercalia’. With the introduction of Christianity, Pope Gelasius around 496 AD turned the ‘Lupercalia’ spring festival into a Christian feast day to be celebrated a day earlier i.e. Every 14th of February.
Pope Gelasius announced February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is the same St. Valentine to whom the modern Valentine’s Day is honored.
Similarly, a fact emerged that St. Valentine was a priest in Rome who served in the days of Emperor Claudius II. The emperor believed that single men were made better soldiers than those who were married, he, therefore, outlawed marriage for young men in the hope of making them potential soldiers.
Despite the proclamation by the Emperor, the good Saint Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. When his perceived good deed was found out, the Emperor proclaimed him to ‘beat-to-death’.
Coincidentally, the world celebrated St. Valentine suffered his martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270 A.D.
Meanwhile, another story emerged on the famous day of Valentine that St. Valentine fell in love with the jailor’s daughter who visited him during his jail sentence. It was gathered that before his demise, St. Valentine sent the first ‘Valentine’ letter personally, in which he signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.
Regardless of the real account of the famous Valentine’s Day, the fact of how legends emphasize St. Valentine as the sympathetic and romantic figure of the third century should be amazingly cherished by all.
Martyr St. Valentine became the ‘Patron’ of the world-celebrated Valentine’s Day.
Commercialization of Valentine’s Day
History revealed the deep connection of how Valentine’s Day has been associated with romance, mating, and courtship through the Middle Ages with St. Valentine as one of the most popular saints in England.
By the 18th century, the creation of heart-shaped handmade cards featuring cupids, lace, and ribbons became the norm and was given to the man or woman; the loved ones. Research states that only around 1850’s, the first greeting cards began to be commercially produced in the United States.
In recent times, Valentine’s Day has grown into a booming commercial success and has become celebrated as one of the most romantic festivals around the world. As per the Greeting Card Association (GCA), an average of one billion Valentine’s cards are sent each year-round to mark Valentine’s Day – the second largest card-sending holiday of the year.
Lessons of Valentine’s Day
As the stories of the Patron St. Valentine were shrouded in mystery, and buried in traditions, many thanks to commercialization that has stripped off and unveiled its significance. The loved ones could bring some of the truth back into reality.
The truth behind the event is love; this love should not be squelched, outlawed, or stamped out.
The significance of St. Valentine’s life was not entirely that he defended Love and Romance and performed Secret Marriages. The Valentine’s Day should be besmirched by Cupids, Chocolates, and Candlelit Dinners.
It is also a day founded upon the life of a Martyr.
The truth of it was that St. Valentine was in love with his savior; that is true Love. YES, true love is deeper still -it goes beyond our love for God.
Research has made it known that Valentine’s is not biblical. Verily, the Bible doesn’t have any specific messages about the day, but it does have a lot to say on the subject of love.
“…In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he has loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (John 3:16).