by Alan Tort and Eric Tort
Valentine’s Day; a day that is celebrated with love and compassion throughout most of the world. It is a recognized holiday where people give loved ones gifts to show their affections. These gifts can now be known as “valentines.” We all remember handing out valentine’s cards and candy in elementary school, but where did this holiday truly come from, and was Valentine’s Day always about love?
The origins of Valentine’s Day trace back to the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia. Held on February 15, this holiday was used to honor the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. In addition to a huge feast that was held, Lupercalia festivities included a paring of young women and men. Men would draw women’s names from a box, and each couple would be paired until next year’s celebration. While this pairing of young couples set the tone for today’s holiday, it wasn’t called “Valentines Day” until a priest named Valentine came along.
In Rome in AD 270, Emperor Claudius II had issued an edict forbidding marriage. Claudius felt that married men made bad soldiers because they did not want to go to war because they did not want to leave their families and loved ones. The empire needed more soldiers so Claudius abolished all marriage and engagements.
Valentine, bishop of Interamna at the time, invited young couples to come to him in secret, where he joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. When Claudius learned of this bishop secretly marrying people, he brought him to the palace where he was thrown in prison awaiting execution. Legend tells us that while Valentine was in prison, he fell in love with the daughter of the jailor, Asterius, where he wrote secret love notes always ending in “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that would live long after its author died. When Claudius was informed about this situation, Valentine was brutally clubbed, stoned, then beheaded on February 24, 270.
Valentine’s story has lived on to this day, and has now become a holiday of romance and love. Here are some origins of common Valentine’s Day symbols:
Lovebirds & Doves: Lovebirds are colorful parrots found in most stores imported from Africa. Most have red bills. They are called lovebirds because they sit closely together in pairs. Doves were thought to be favorite birds of Venus. They remain with the same mates all their lives. The males and females both care for their babies. Because these birds are symbols of loyalty and love, they were adopted as symbols for Valentine’s Day.
Cupid: Cupid is the most famous of Valentine symbols. He is known as mischievous Jinn disguised as a winged child armed with bow and arrows. In western culture he shot darts of desire into the bosoms of both pretend gods and humans causing them to all fall in love. Cupid has always played a role in the celebrations of love. In ancient Greece he was know as Eros the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. To the Roman’s he was Cupid, and his mother was Venus.
Heart: A long time ago, people in Europe believed that all the emotions were found in the heart. In later years, they thought only the emotion of love was connected with the heart. The heart is still a symbol of love for Valentine’s Day.
Red Rose: The rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red is a color that stands for strong feelings. This is why the red rose is a flower for Valentine’s.
Lace: Hundreds of years ago, women in Europe carried lace handkerchiefs. If a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man nearby might pick it up and return it to her. Sometimes a woman might see a man she wanted to meet. She might drop her lace handkerchief on purpose to encourage romance. Soon people thought of romance when they thought of lace. They began using paper lace to decorate chocolate boxes and Valentine cards.
Gloves: Years ago in western countries when a man proposed marriage to a woman, he “asked for her hand.” The hand became a symbol of marriage and love. Soon gloves also became a symbol of love at Valentines.
Rings: In most European countries, men and women exchange rings when they become engaged or marry. Two or three hundred years ago, Valentine’s Day was a popular day for giving an engagement ring. An engagement ring usually had a stone or jewel set in it. Diamonds are common in today’s engagement rings.
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