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Valentine's Day Origins
The custom of sending gifts, cards and flowers to your beloved on February 14th has endured through the centuries. Let us look back at where and when these customs originated.
Ancient Festivals
The celebration of a feast of love and fertility dates back to ancient times. Gamelion, between mid-January and mid-February, was the month of marriage, so named to celebrate the marriage of Zeus and Hera (Greek gods).
Around 400 BC, in ancient Rome, the feast of Lupercalia was celebrated in mid-February to commemorate the she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. As part of the festivities, young men drew the names of young maidens with whom they were partnered for the remainder of the year. Often they would fall in love and marry.
Early Christian Festivals
By the end of the 5th century AD, to do away with the pagan festival, the Christian church designated St. Valentine as the patron saint for this day. Valentine was a priest who, in 270 AD, secretly celebrated marriages against the order of the Roman emperor Claudius II. The emperor had forbidden marriages in order to raise up an army of heartless, fearless soldiers who did not have emotional attachments to wives and girlfriends. Valentine was later caught and imprisoned.
Another story has a St. Valentine who was imprisoned for not renouncing his Christian faith. He befriended and cured the jailer's blind daughter. On the day scheduled for his execution, he wrote a farewell note to the young lass, signed "from your Valentine".
Middle Ages
The belief that birds chose their mates in mid-February further linked this day to love and marriage. In England, during the medieval days of chivalry, the names of young maidens and bachelors were put in a box and drawn out in pairs. The couple then exchanged gifts and the girl became the guy's valentine for that year. He wore her name on his sleeve and was duty-bound to attend and protect her.
Valentine Messages and Flowers
The first modern valentine greetings date from the early 15th century AD. The French nobleman, Charles, the Duke of Orleans was captured at the battle of Agincourt and kept prisoner at the Tower of London. While in prison, he wrote a series of love poems to his beloved wife.
Giving flowers on Valentine's day started in the 17th century when a daughter of Henry IV, king of France, gave a party to celebrate St. Valentine's day. Each lady received a bouquet of flowers from the man chosen as her valentine.
Since then, these traditions have grown so much so that the most common way to declare your love and affection for your special someone was to send cards, flowers and gifts on Valentine's day.
Have a happy Valentine! ♥
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