History of Valentine’s Day

17th February 2022 Off By Marketing

Once a year on 14 February we celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration. We send flowers, buy chocolates and bears, we cook special meals, we send messages of love and affection to our partners, family, friends and secret admirers.

But what is Valentine’s Day and where did it start? There has been many stories over the years about Saint Valentine that has grown into the legend we know today.

Saint Valentine was a priest who lived during the Roman Empire, who performed secret Christian marriage ceremonies for young soldiers after Emperor Claudius II made it a crime for young men to get married.

The Emperor believed that single men made better soldiers and should be completely be devoted to Rome. Valentine was caught and sentenced to death. It is believed that during his time in jail he healed the blind daughter of his jailer with whom he was in love.  Before his execution on 14 February, Valentine wrote her a love message and signed it “Your Valentine.”

Only after more than 200 years later did the Pope Gelasius name 14 February St. Valentine’s Day.  By this time Rome has become Christian and the Catholic Church wanted to stop any remaining paganism associated to the pagan fertility ritual named Lupercalia, that was held mid-February every year where young, unmarried women placed their names into an urn and the bachelors would choose a woman to be paired with for the rest of the year that sometimes resulted in marriage.

Poet Geoffrey Chaucer who wrote a 700 line poem called “Parlement of Foules” that was the first to link St Valentine and romantic love. The practice of sending love messages started where people would make special cards expressing their affection. Saint Valentine’s Day card were decorated with pictures of hearts, flowers even cupid, trimmed with lace and contained sentimental verses.

Here are a few fun facts of how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in other countries.

  • In Japan the woman are the ones to give chocolates to the men. There are all kinds of inexpensive giri choco or obligation chocolates that are given to platonic friends and the expensive ones are given to their romantic partners. On 14 March the men spoil the woman with fancy gifts and chocolates.
  • The Welsh celebrate Saint Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers this is their version of Valentine’s Day on the 25th of January. Intricate hand carved spoons are given to the woman as a token of affection.
  • Germans love pork, pigs are considered to be a symbol of luck, so on Valentine’s Day they exchange pigs, not real ones, little keepsakes or cartoons.
  • Valentine’s Day in France use to be kind of violent, France would hold a loterie d’amour, or a matchmaking lottery, men and women would shout to each other from houses across the street and then pair off. Men then had the option of keeping their date or find another one. The non-chosen women would then get together and burn pictures of the lovers who spurned them and vent their anger around a bonfire. Eventually the French government had to ban the event
  • Verona, Italy, where the story originated, today they have a four-day festival in Verona that celebrates love with heart-shaped lanterns and a letter-writing contest to Juliet.
  • Ever heard the phrase “Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve”? Well, it is not just an expression. In parts of South Africa, women carry on the Lupercalian tradition by literally wearing their heart on their sleeves, or by pinning the name of their love interest to their shirts.
  • In Ghana Valentine’s Day has been dubbed “National Chocolate Day” this is to promote tourism and their cocoa products which are the backbone of Ghana’s economy.

Valentine’s Day is celebrated in most countries, different cultures have developed their own traditions for this day. In some parts of the world Valentine’s Day is a day for expressing love between family and friends, rather than that of romantic couples.

Some traditions include leaving lollies and gifts for children. Many couples choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a picnic, dinner or special home-cooked meal. Another popular Valentine’s Day activity is to spoil your loved one with a luxury hotel stay in a beautiful location, this allows the couple to enjoy some quality time together.