By Ava Carrillo & Sofia Rico, Clarion Staff writers
It’s that time of the year again! February 14, also known as the iconic Valentine's Day.
Valentine’s Day can be quite controversial: for many it is a happy day full of love and romance, and for others it might be an unfriendly reminder of how single you are. Whether you’re spending Valentine’s Day with your loved one or rotting in bed alone with a pint of ice cream, we’re here to explain the history of the widely celebrated holiday. Is it a real holiday or something companies promoted for profit?
There are several legends and stories about the history of Valentine’s Day, the main one revolving around St. Valentine, a 3rd century Roman priest. Emperor Claudius II believed that single men made better soldiers compared to ones with wives and families. He then created a law banning marriage for young men.
St. Valentine recognized how unjust this law was and continued to perform marriages for young men secretly, knowing the risk of breaking the law. Eventually Claudius II found out about the secret marriages and ordered St. Valentine to be put to death. Because of his death and the reason it was for, this became a holiday to celebrate and remember him for his good deeds.
However, many argue that instead of the priest St. Valentine, it was actually Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop who performed the marriages. He was also put to death by Claudius II.
Other stories say that instead of performing secret marriages, St. Valentine helped Christians escape Roman prisons where they were tortured. He was then sent to prison and fell in love with a young girl who would visit him during his confinement. He would write her letters and sign them “from your Valentine”, which is believed to be the origin of Valentine's Day cards.
The last theory revolves around a Pagan tradition known as Lupercalia, a feast celebrated on February 15. This feast celebrated the fertility in women and had interesting traditions, to say the least. A priest would first sacrifice an animal with a tail and proceed to use the tail to gently whip young women because it was believed that this would greaten their chances of getting pregnant.
Now hundreds of years later, the holiday is still celebrated just very differently.
Valentine’s Day grew in popularity in the 1840’s, becoming a national holiday in 1849. However it is suspected that Americans had been passing out valentines since the 1700s. During this time, you could not just go out and buy a Valentine’s card, people had to make them. Oftentimes lace, bits of mirror, bows and ribbons, seashells and seeds, silver foil appliqués, and silk flowers were common items used to make gifts for others. However, even 100 years ago sayings like “Be Mine” were still used as a sign of romance to someone else.
By 1900, most cards had started being printed due to improvements in printing technology and it has only grown in popularity from there. Nowadays you can go to the grocery store and buy a premade card, a premade bouquet, chocolates, and other assorted small gifts for your valentine.
So, is Valentine’s Day a real holiday with solid origins or is it just celebrated with no real reason?
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