The History of Valentine’s Day
Many people try to complain that Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a “Hallmark holiday” dreamed up by businesses seeking to profit from the desperate masses seeking love. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Valentine’s Day traces its history back to ancient Rome, long before any such businesses started looking towards their bottom line.
In ancient Rome, February 14th was declared to be a celebration for Juno, queen of all the Roman gods and goddesses. Boys and girls who were segregated throughout the year would come together and draw names from a jar, and would pair up with the chosen person throughout the Festival of Lupercalia. Often, as a result of these pairings, the couples would fall in love and sometimes get married.
There are many legends of how Valentine’s Day came to be at this point in Ancient Rome. Some believe that St. Valentine helped prisoners of harsh Roman prisons escape and thus was imprisoned by the Roman Empire. This legend continues that, while in prison, St. Valentine fell in love with his jailor’s daughter and began to send her written love letters signed “From your valentine.”
The prevailing legend is that St. Valentine was a Roman priest who began to secretly marry couples against the direct orders of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius believed that he was having difficulties recruiting soldiers for his immense military because the young men didn’t want to leave their sweethearts at home. To combat this problem, he declared that both engagements and marriages were illegal. St. Valentine eventually was executed for his violation of Claudius’ orders, but his spirit lived on throughout Rome.
When the Roman Empire fell and