February 14 also known as Valentine’s Day, has long been an excuse to celebrate love in all its forms. In the United States, Valentine’s Day is for trading small tokens of love, for confessions of admiration, and for all things heart shaped or red.
While the modern Valentine’s Day celebrations are a charming tradition, the Valentine’s Day roots have somewhat of a darker and complex origin. According to history.com, one legend suggests that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.
When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Others insisted that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.
Other legends cite various historical people or events as being a possible source of the holiday’s roots.
Some theorize that ‘’Valentine’s Day’’ was confused for ‘’ Galentines day’’- a Norman holiday occurring in February celebrating love. In fact, the name ‘’ Galentines’’ can be translated into the phrase ‘’lover of women’’.
Yet another theory claims that the origin of Valentine’s Day is the Pagan holiday Lupercalia. For those not familiar with the legend of Romulus and Remus, the story claims that Romulus and Remus were abandoned during their infancy, intended by those who abandoned them to die.
Instead, they were found and nurtured by a female wolf, before they reentered society and founded Rome. The female wolf was called ‘’Lupercal’’ a play on the Roman fertility god names ‘’Lupercus’’. According to History.com, to honor the wolf, the festival of Lupercal was held yearly. The festival would begin with the sacrifice of two male goats, meant to represent sexuality. After a feast, the revelers would cut strip of hide off of the sacrificial goats. Men would run around naked, whipping any nearby women with the bloody goat hide.
For the women, it was believed to aid in fertility. At some point throughout the festival, the men would randomly select a woman’s name from a jar. The man and woman would then couple up for the remainder of the festival- the 6th century equivalent of a blind date. Often, the pairing would be fruitful, and the couple might even choose to marry.
These are just a few of the more popular legends concerning the origins of Valentine’s Day. While the stories differ, it is clear that there is a common theme throughout the stories. Valentine married couples in secret, letting love win despite the risk. The Normans Celebrate the love of women. Roman men and women would take part in rituals meant to honor the nurturing of a wolf to two human boys, hoping to find their own love along the way.
It is clear that the history of Valentine’s Day has always, and will always be intertwined with the theme of love- at whatever cost. This Valentine’s Day, why not honor this? Maybe skip the whipping of females with bloody goat hide, (women might not find this romantic) but keep the sentiment. Tell that special person that you like them. Tell your partner that you love them. If all else fails, tell your family and friends how much you appreciate them. And in the spirit of this, Happy Valentine’s Day to the Bucks community!