February 14th, the holiday of Love! Every February, across the
country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved
ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. Who is this mysterious
saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of
Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in
mystery. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains
vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. The
Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named
Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred - none of
whom were associated with roses OR chocolate.
Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine of the holiday was
a priest who served during the third century in Rome. During
this time, around 270 A.D., emperor Claudius ll prohibited
marriages for young men, claiming that bachelors made better
soldiers. Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage
ceremonies but was eventually apprehended by the Romans and
ordered by Claudius to be put to death. But his courageous
blessing of the bonds of love may have earned him a notable
place in history.
Another legend has it that Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius;
fell in love with the daughter of his jailer who visited him
during confinement. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent
her a letter signed "from your Valentine" an expression that is
still used today. We could say this marked the very first
Valentine's Day.
Possibly the most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine and
his day is one not focused on Eros(passionate love) but on agape
(Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his
religion. Subsequently, his love for his god may have gone down
in history.
Our final possiblity for the origins our our holiday: It could
be that we celebrate Valentines Day on the 14th because this is
the day that St. Valentine died. However, some believe that the
celebration of Valentines Day was an attempt by the Church to
civilize the celebration of the pagan Lupercalia festival - held
on the 15th of February. Lupercalia was a fertility festival
dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to
the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Pope Gelasius declared
February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Lupercalia
festival was deemed un-Christian and outlawed.
Valentine's Greetings
The oldest known valentine gift still in existence today was a
poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he
was imprisoned in the Tower of London. The greeting, written in
1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British
Library in London, England. According to the Greeting Card
Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent
each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest
card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion
cards are sent for Christmas.) The first commercial Valentine's
Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the
1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the
Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and
colorful pictures known as "scrap".
And Who is this Cupid?
Another valentine icon you may be wondering about is Cupid (from
Latin cupido, "desire"). In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of
Venus, goddess of love. His counterpart in Greek mythology is
Eros, god of love. Cupid is often said to be a mischievous boy
who goes around wounding both gods and humans with his arrows,
causing them to fall in love. The Romans believed white roses
grew where the tears of Venus fell, as she mourned the loss of
her beloved Adonis. Her son Cupid, while being stung by a bee,
shot arrows in the rose garden; the sting of the arrows became
thorns. Venus pricked her foot on a thorn, and the droplets of
blood dyed the roses red.
Sending Roses on Valentine's Day
Why should you send roses to your loved one this Valentine's
Holiday? The rose is the symbol of love, of magic, of hope, and
of passion....perfect to let your loved one know how you feel
about him/her! The rose represents ultimate beauty and
perfection. It is the messenger of Romance!
A dozen red roses remains the classic Valentine's Day favorite
(ok, it's a toss up between roses and chocolate - but we all
knwo why chocolate is). However, many women report that they
adore roses in other colors just as much. There are hundreds of
colors to choose from. The choices are endless and it's easier
than ever to select a rose that is as unique as your sweetheart.
Whatever your Valentine's gift to give or receive, have fun this
holiday of love - may this little bit of history add to your
enjoyment!
About the author:
Eric is a friend of the rose growers at rosefarm.com, where one
can send flowers and long stem red roses to their
friends and loved ones
Written by: Eric V. Allen
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