As the New Year begins, and Christmas Trees are being hauled to the road, many people begin to shift their attention to the next upcoming holiday: Valentine's Day. For some, this is a day of joyous celebration of romance and happiness, while for others...it's not so happy. One of the biggest themes you hear the naysayers touting is referring to the day as a "Hallmark holiday," suggesting that the holiday was created by greeting card companies to boost sales. While it is no surprise that candy and card companies flourish at this time of year, Valentine's Day is no invention of theirs. In fact, the first celebration was established over 1500 years ago as a feast to commemorate a priest who was martyred.
Saint Valentine
Throughout history, there have been about a dozen Saint Valentines recognized by the Catholic Church. Details are quite vague, and the Saint Valentine in question may have been one man, or comprised of the stories of two or three men. Whether he was one or many, most accounts agree that he was a priest of Rome, and possibly a former Bishop in Italy. Christianity was basically illegal in the pagan Roman Empire at the time, and Christians were heavily persecuted. Valentine was known to minister to Christians, often in secret. Some legends hold that he also performed marriages for Christians, which is possibly where some of the present-day theme of love attributed to the holiday may come from. Some also state that he would cut out paper hearts to give to his followers, as a reminder of God's love.
Valentine's practices were considered a crime, and he was eventually arrested. While under house arrest, Valentine is said to have cured Judge Asterias' daughter Julia of blindness, thus converting the judge and his household to Christianity. Asterias also released all of the imprisoned Christians in his jurisdiction. Valentine was later arrested again, which ultimately led to his execution. He was taken straight to Emperor Claudius II, who at first found Valentine intriguing. After Valentine tried convincing Claudius to convert however, he was ordered to be beaten and beheaded. Some embellished legends state that before his execution, Valentine wrote a note to Asterias' daughter signed "Your Valentine," which is another possible tie to current practices. There are still further legends that say that Valentine refused to perform pagan sacrifices, which is why he was initially arrested. Some stories like to state that Saint Valentine wore an amethyst ring with the image of a Cupid on it. No matter which, or all, of the stories are accurate, most share the theme of a Roman priest who was arrested and executed for ministering to persecuted Christians and refusing to renounce God and his religion.
Creation of the Holiday
In 496 CE, Pope Gelasius I established February 14th, the day on which Valentine was believed to have been executed two centuries earlier, as the Feast of Saint Valentine. The Feast was widely celebrated amongst most Christian denominations, especially Catholics and Lutherans, until 1969 when the Catholic Church revised its list. Saint Valentine's Day was demoted to an optional commemoration depending on the denomination and locality, with the reasoning being that not much was known of Valentine other than he was martyred on February 14th. While the original holy day had no connection to love or romance, during the late Middle Ages and into the early Renaissance period religion was highly romanticized, and mixed with the symbology of the approaching Spring and new life, the idea of love and courting started to become more associated with the day. The first recorded association of Valentine's Day and romance was in 1382 by famed poet Geoffrey Chaucer in the "Parliament of Fowls":
"For this was on Saint Valentine's Day
When every bird comes there to choose his match
(Of every kind that men may think of!),
And that so huge a noise they began to make
That earth and air and tree and every lake
Was so full, that not easily was there space
For me to stand—so full was all the place."
By the 18th century, Valentine's Day had grown into much of what we see today: the exchange of cards and candies between loved ones. In the mid-1800s, Valentine's Day cards and confectionaries had become a full industry. It is estimated that in 1835 England, more than 60,000 Valentine cards and greetings were sent through the mail. Sometime shortly after 1847 saw the Valentine's card business come to America, with the first mass-produced cards manufactured in Worcester, Massachusetts. The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was made by Cadbury in 1868.
There is some suggestion that Valentine's Day was created to replace the Roman celebration of Lupercalia, although this has been widely dismissed. The Ancient Roman festival, which took place February 13-15th, was a celebration of purification and health, and is believed to be only coincidental that Saint Valentine's Day shares the same date. When calendars were updated, the birth of Jesus was placed on December 25th, and many of the Church's holidays and celebrations were based around that. Depending on the accuracy of recorded documents and the conversion of dates by ancient and modern scholars, there is a possibility that certain events took place at a different time of year.
Valentine's Day Today
Today, Valentine's Day is celebrated in much of the world, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Most regions share similar traditions, with a central theme concentrated on love and romance. In the United States alone, it is estimated that over one billion Valentine cards are exchanged each year, with more than half going to family members, children, and schoolmates. American teachers receive the most Valentines out of any other people. The holiday accounts for over $18 billion in business in the US each year. From a religious standpoint, currently the Lutheran and Anglican Churches observe the Feast of Saint Valentine. This is a popular time for married couples to renew their vows. The Eastern Orthodox Church also recognizes the other two Saint Valentines on July 6th and July 30th with Feast Days.
Because of the boom in industry for greeting card and chocolate companies, people often mistakenly (or bitterly) refer to Valentine's Day as a "Hallmark holiday." Valentine's Day, however, has been around for centuries, and was originally created for religious purposes to honor a martyred Saint. The Middle Age and Renaissance blend of romance and religion helped give birth to new ideas about the holiday, and by the 1900s Valentine's Day was widely popular throughout Europe and America. While most do not recognize the day as a religious observance anymore, the theme of romance that stems from the legends of Saint Valentine is still prevalent today. Greeting card companies certainly helped to expand the holiday, but it would be unfair and inaccurate to give them sole credit for the creation of the day, or hold it against them for such.
On the other hand, Sweetest Day (observed the third Saturday of October), was in fact created by confectionary and greeting card companies in the early 1900s.
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