As we all know Valentine’s Day is about love. But how did this holiday start?
The true history of Valentine’s Day was started within the Catholic and Protestant faith.
History accounts the story of a Roman priest named Saint Valentine who helped Christian couples get married, for which he was imprisoned. While in prison, Valentine tutored a blind girl who was an official’s daughter, which caused the official and his family to switch to Christianity. Both of these incidents angered the Roman Emperor, Claudias II. In his eyes, he thought married men were poor soldiers and that Christians were against society. Saint Valentine was eventually beheaded by Roman Emperor Claudias II on Feb. 14, 269 A.D.
Another historical account details the story of another Saint Valentine, a bishop of Terni who helped a student whose head had been stuck between his knees for three years. After curing the student, his family converted to Christianity. He was then ordered by Prefect Placidus of Rome to sacrifice to the pagan gods and Valentine refused. Valentine was later beheaded on Feb. 14, 269 A.D. His body was buried slightly outside of Terni, Italy. By the 5th century, his tomb became a sacred place that people would visit.
In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius I created a feast day to honor St. Valentine. The Christian feast day would happen on Feb. 14, and was held in the Catholic church.
In ancient Rome, Feb. 15 was associated with the Pagan Festival of Lupercalia. The Pagan Festival was looked at as a fertility festival that was known to involve animal sacrifices and matchmaking. The festival was originally not associated with the Protestant faith, but early Protestants would often try to celebrate Protestant holidays on the Pagan Festival dates in an effort to draw more people into their faith. This is where some of the Pagan festival traditions merged with Protestant traditions. Later, the St. Valentine feast and Pagan festival of Lupercalia were merged together.
Around the 14th or 15th century, Valentine’s Day became associated with romance, or love.
Some say there were two Saint Valentines, but others think it is the same person due to the stories being similar.
Valentine’s Day was not always about having a romantic partner to spend it with. This story illustrates how no matter the faith or relationship status, anyone can celebrate Valentine’s Day.
