A Brief History of Valentine's Day

By: Logan Bishop'24

History of St. Valentine

The origin of Valentine’s Day begins with Saint Valentine in the mid-200s A.D. According to a History.com article, it is difficult to discern who exactly Valentine’s day was inspired by as there were at least three noble and well-respected martyred Saints named Valentine or Valentinus. Whoever the actual Valentine was, his exact deeds are unknown due to there being many tellings of the same story. Despite a lack of definitive knowledge on the matter, there are several pervasive theories.

The first suggests that Valentine opposed Emperor Claudius II during the prime of his reign—an extremely brave but ultimately devastating decision. The emperor had recently passed an order to increase the number of young men in the army. He outlawed marriage between young couples. In the olden times, this made it difficult for intimacy between young lovers to occur as it was often seen as unrighteous, even blasphemous, to have sex before marriage.

To oppose this unjust law, Valentine married young couples in secret. When he was found out, he was put to death quickly and violently by the emperor. He was a hero of the people, so this execution eternalized him as a martyr. A similar theory highlights Valentine's heroism. Instead of helping young couples, it suggests that Valentine discovered Christians being tortured in Roman prisons and helped them escape.

Regardless of which theory, story, or tale is told, one thing is clear across them all: Valentine defied unjust laws and displayed heroic qualities. For his incredible bravery, the church commemorated his death on the 14th of February as a celebration of the sacrifices Valentine made.

The meaning of Valentine’s day did eventually change around the 14th century when Geoffrey Chaucer, one the greatest poets to ever live, wrote a romantic piece concerning Valentine’s Day. His poem garnered widespread acclaim, and shortly after, everyone associated the 14th of February with love, flowers, and chocolates. Despite becoming a more romanticized holiday, Valentine has been eternalized into our calendar as a glorious martyr.

4 Fun V-Day Facts

1. The first Valentine was written by an imprisoned duke to his wife from the Tower of London, showing his love...and necessity for bail money. (Source.)

2. Richard Cadbury decided to sell a new form of chocolate on Valentine’s Day in the 1800s. He even made a special box to sell them in. (Source.) This tradition was so popular it has remained for over a century, and is now the reason you're expected to “surprise” your sweetheart with a signature box of sugar.

3. Over 200 million roses are grown for Valentine’s Day. (Source.) That's enough to cover a football field or half as many as you'll receive from a clingy ex.

4. In Wales, a common Valentine’s Day tradition is exchanging hand-crafted spoons with one's significant other, and if things ever go south, it's a lovely fire starter. (Source.)

Welsh love spoons

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Sources

Onion, Amanda, et al. “History of Valentine's Day.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Dec. 2009, www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2.

Morgan, Thad. “History's Oldest-Known Valentine Was Written in Prison.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Feb. 2018, www.history.com/news/historys-oldest-known-valentine-was-written-in-prison.

Onion, Amanda, et al. “Valentine’s Day Facts.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Dec. 2009, www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/valentines-day-facts.

Watson, Gwen. “Crazy Valentine's Day Facts.” Food for Thought, 5 Feb. 2021, www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com/Blog/post/crazy-valentines-day-facts.aspx#:~:text=What%20will%20you%20be%20buying%20this%20year%20for%20your%20love%3F&text=Approximately%20224%20million%20roses%20are,of%20roses%20sold%20each%20year.

Sen, Sukanya. “18 Valentine's Day Traditions Around The World That Make The Day Of Love Special.” TravelTriangle, 28 Jan. 2021, traveltriangle.com/blog/valentines-day-traditions-around-the-world/.

*Note: The article was republished due to website maintenance and grammatical issues. The original publication date is February 14th, 2021.