The history of Valentine’s Day is a mix of ancient Roman traditions, tales of early Christian martyrs, and the development of romantic traditions during the Middle Ages.
Pagan roots in ancient Rome
Some historians link Valentine’s Day to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration observed from February 13th to 15th.
- Fertility rites: During Lupercalia, an order of Roman priests called the Luperci would sacrifice a goat and a dog. They would then run around the streets, gently slapping women with strips of the animals’ hides. This was believed to make women more fertile.
- Matchmaking: A legend from this period describes a matchmaking lottery where young men would draw the names of women from an urn to be paired up for the festival, with matches sometimes leading to marriage.
- Christianization: In the 5th century A.D., Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day, possibly in an effort to replace the pagan festival with a Christian holiday.
Legends of St. Valentine
The name “Valentine” is associated with several early Christian martyrs, with the exact origin of the holiday’s namesake being “shrouded in mystery”. Two of the most popular legends include:
- Secret marriages: One story involves a Roman priest named Valentine who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marrying young men. The emperor believed single men made better soldiers. Valentine continued to perform marriages in secret until he was caught and sentenced to death.
- The first “valentine”: Another legend suggests that while in prison, Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and sent her a letter before his execution, signing it “From your Valentine”.
Romantic holiday in the Middle Ages
The clear association of February 14th with romantic love didn’t appear until centuries later.
- Chaucer’s influence: The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer is often credited with popularizing the idea in his 1375 poem, “Parliament of Fowls,” which states that birds chose their mates on St. Valentine’s Day.
- Written valentines: The oldest known valentine is a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Modern commercial traditions
The celebration continued to evolve over time, leading to modern-day gift-giving traditions.
- Greeting cards: The tradition of exchanging small tokens of affection and handwritten notes became popular in 18th-century England. By the 19th century, mass-produced greeting cards began to replace handwritten letters. In the United States, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in the 1840s.
- Candy and gifts: In 1868, the British company Cadbury created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day.
- Flowers: Gifting flowers, especially red roses, has long been a symbol of beauty and love.