Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, accompanied by candy hearts, boxes of chocolate and dozens of red roses in every store. Elementary school students will hand out cards and candy to every classmate, while high school choruses will sing romantic songs. Boyfriends scramble to buy gifts for their girlfriends because it would be a sin to forget the special occasion. Since when did Valentine’s Day become such a big deal?
It all started with the ancient Romans, who celebrated a feast known as Lupercalia, a festival in honor of the god of fertility. From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans sacrificed young dogs and goats—both animals with a strong sexual instinct—whose hides they used to whip women. Young women believed that being whipped with the animal hides would make them fertile and would often line up to be hit. According to NPR, the women’s names were also put into a jar for a “matchmaking lottery.” Men would draw a name and match up with that woman. Sometimes the couples would stay together until the date of the next festival, or even get married.
The name of Valentine’s Day originated in ancient Rome as well. According to BBC, St. Valentine was a Roman priest in the third century AD. Marriage was outlawed during this time since Emperor Claudius II believed that married men would not serve as good soldiers. Despite this rule, St. Valentine secretly arranged marriages. He was imprisoned and sentenced to death. In jail, St. Valentine fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, and on Feb. 14, the day of his execution, he sent her a love note signed “from your Valentine.” From then on, he was honored by an annual celebration: St. Valentine’s Day.
In the fifth century, Lupercalia and St. Valentine’s Day were combined by Pope Gelasius I. Feb. 14 became a day of fertility and love. Over time, St. Valentine’s Day was romanticized through the written works of William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer, which spread throughout Britain and Europe. As a result, St. Valentine’s name began to be used to express feelings of love. Handmade paper cards gained popularity during the Middle Ages, but this was just the beginning.
Factory-made cards were introduced in the 19th century Industrial Revolution and in 1913, the iconic Hallmark Cards of Kansas City started manufacturing valentines, which are still sold to this day. In fact, according to Record Online, the total Valentine’s Day expenses reached $20.7 billion in the United States last year. So how will you spend the “day of love” this year?
Article by Zoe Bell of Quince Orchard High School
Graphic by Jillian Wimbush and Helena Yang of Richard Montgomery High School