A holiday celebrating our connection to others
When we focus on the “spirit” piece of this column, many ideas come to mind: well-being, social support, connection to a higher power, and a powerful bond with others. February has a holiday that celebrates all of these features.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, this month we take a journey back to the third century in order to explain our candy and card-giving of today. Valentine's Day contains both Christian and ancient Roman traditions but the legend is murky.
Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. The name “Valentine” comes from the Latin word valor, meaning worthy. Two of the Valentine personas, Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni, are believed to be the same individual. One legend contends that during a ban on marriages of Roman soldiers by the Emperor Claudius II, St. Valentine of Rome secretly helped arrange marriages
Another legend suggests that Valentine (also possibly Valentine of Rome) actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting. On the evening before Valentine was to be martyred for being a Christian, he passed a love note to his jailer’s daughter that read, “From your Valentine.”
Far more prominent historically than any of the Saint Valentines is Valentinius of Alexandria. He was an influential teacher and a candidate for Bishop of Rome in 143. Another possible contributor to the date of Valentine’s Day was Juno Februata, the Roman goddess of love, marriage, and women. Her feast day fell on February 15.
In 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th to be Valentine’s Day. By the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. St. Valentine’s remains, or what are believed to be his remains, can still be viewed every Valentine’s Day at the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland. Even Shakespeare had one of his characters, Ophelia, mention Valentine’s Day in Hamlet (1601 A.D.).
In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the early 19th century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology and cheaper postage rates. Valentine’s Day was likely imported into North America by British settlers and Americans were exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America. In the second half of the 20th century, the practice of exchanging cards was extended to roses and chocolates in the U.S., possibly fueled by the new television industry.
Currently, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday behind Christmas. Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, most of Europe, Australia, Japan, Korea, and parts of Iran.
Today, the magic of Valentine’s Day is still alive and dedicated to love. Share the legend of Valentine’s Day with someone special.
