The History of Valentine's Day
By Avery P.
Valentine day by Getty Images (Allika) Created in Canva
As many people finish putting away their Christmas decorations, a new holiday is just around the corner. Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on the fourteenth of February. The holiday is centered around love and being romantic; cupid, hearts, flowers, and chocolates are just a few examples. You will commonly see the color pink or red around this time. Local craft stores supply your every Valentine's Day need. While this holiday is enjoyable to celebrate, the question often arises of why we celebrate it. Where did the idea of Cupid or hearts originate in connection to this holiday? Did it start out as an important celebration? These are very intriguing questions. I think it’s important to know the background of an event. For example, we know why we celebrate birthdays, Christmas, or Thanksgiving. So, why is the history of Valentine's Day not commonly known? It is because the story of Valentine's Day is a tad confusing. It all starts with a man named Saint Valentine.
The Catholic Church recognizes three men as Saint Valentine (history.com). While we do not know for sure who he was, he was a very important man at the time. In third-century Rome, power was what mattered. Strong armies and powerful leaders were the most important thing. The power-hungry ruler during this time was Emperor Claudius II. He outlawed young marriage because he believed that married men made awful soldiers (history.com). If a soldier was married, Claudius II believed they were weaker. When Saint Valentine caught wind of this, he made it his mission to secretly marry the young couples.
Saint Valentine’s belief was that young people should get married. He thought it wrong and unfair to outlaw young marriage. In response to the outlaw, he married these young couples–in secret. He performed countless marriages in private. However, Emperor Claudius II caught wind of Valentine’s disobedience to the law. He was captured and taken to the Tower of London. In jail, Valentine was sentenced to death for his actions. While in jail, he fell in love with the jailer's daughter. He sent her letters while locked away. Many scholars believe that this is where the idea of valentines came from. He even signed his very last letter to her, “from your Valentine” (history.com). From there, the idea of a valentine was created. On February 14, 207 A.D, Saint Valentine was killed for his defiance and willingness to marry young couples.
While this explains the general idea of who Valentine was and what he did, it doesn’t answer the question of how we got the holiday. The Roman love festival, Lupercalia, was celebrated on February 15. Christians wanted to Christianize this pagan holiday. The martyrdom of Saint Valentine kickstarted this reform. Even though Valentine was martyred in 270 A.D, this celebration wasn’t considered a holiday until around 1375. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first person to recognize the holiday as a romantic holiday. He wrote about Saint Valentine's Day in his poem “Parliament of Foules,” in 1375. However, written valentines did not appear until the 1400s (history.com).
After research, the question arises of how many high school students know the real history and reason behind this intriguing festivity. One out of three Northstar students knew the real history behind Valentine’s Day. In conclusion, Valentine’s Day is focused on candy, Cupid, hearts, and the color pink. In my opinion, the holiday should recognize the sacrifice that one man made for young couples. The history should be talked about around the time of the holiday. It is important to understand the background of holidays and the sacrifices people made.
Columns: 🔎Informational 🗓️Seasonal
Avery P lives in Memphis, Tennessee, with her parents, and three siblings. This is her second year at NorthStar and her first writing for the Navigator. Avery enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and being at church. In the future, Avery hopes to pursue a future in education.