What Does Love Have to Do With St. Valentine and Why Do We Celebrate His Day?

I want a little red heart of my very own, too!

Love. It’s a simple four-letter word. People use it every day to express their feelings in a many-splendour’d way. It’s eternal and universal.

So much so, that we dedicated a day to love and named it after a guy–St. Valentine.

But who is this cupid who brings harbingers of love dripping from the points of arrows? Why do we fling amour-tinged darts of affection today?

Let’s find out!

Who was this mysterious man of love?

There are at least three men in history named Valentine or Valentinus. The one I want to focus on is the 3rd-century martyr who lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius.

Saint Valentine was a cleric who ministered to Christians during the persecutions of the Roman Empire. He was described as a priest of Rome and was placed under house arrest for helping persecuted Christians and performing unlawful Christian weddings during times of war.

During his incarceration under Judge Asterius, Valentinus was allowed to discuss his faith. Asterius, in an effort to shut Valentinus up, offered him a proposal.

Heal my daughter.

If Valentinus could heal his adopted daughter’s eyesight, Asterius would do whatever he wanted. After laying hands on the girl, he restored her eyesight. Valentinus told the judge that he and his household should undergo Christian water baptism. The judge did as Valentinus instructed and also freed all the Christian inmates.

Valentinus continued to evangelize, was arrested again, and then sent to Emperor Claudius himself. Claudius took a liking to Valentinus until he tried to talk Claudius into accepting Christianity. Claudius refused and condemned Valentinus to death by beheading. Shortly before his execution, Valentinus wrote a letter to Claudius’ daughter and signed it, your valentine.

Little-Known Facts

• St. Valentine’s skull is currently on display in a Roman Basilica.
• He is the patron saint of beekeepers and epileptics.
• A small vial tinged with his blood is on display in Ireland.
• My great-grandfather’s middle name was Valentine.

The bloody holiday of Lupercalia.

Remember Claudius? He executed Valentinus on February the 14th. Later, this day became commemorated as the Feast of St. Valentine or Valentine’s Day. However, before we discuss our current celebration of the lovable Valentinus, let’s delve into the dark undertones of this day.

From February 13–15th, the Romans celebrated the bloody fertility rite of Lupercalia. During this Roman revelry, the men sacrificed goats and dogs. They then made whips of the animal hides and lashed women chosen for the festivities.

The women stood in line, awaiting stripes from the drunken males. They believed the whippings would make them more fertile.

After the Roman Empire fell, the Catholic Pope Gelasius I combined the Roman feast with St. Valentine’s Day trying to oust the pagan sport.

Also, to reinforce St. Valentine’s as a day of love, the Normans celebrated Galatin’s Day. Galatin meant “lover of women.” That was likely confused with St. Valentine’s Day at some point, in part because they sound alike.

How did we go from martyrdom to cards?

The origins of Valentine’s Day becoming a major commercial holiday can apparently be traced back to the United States.

While the practice of gifting your Valentine greeting cards was a centuries-long tradition, it wasn’t until Valentine’s Day was marketed in the U.S. that it became a commercial success.

In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”

Then, Joyce Hall started selling greeting postcards from two shoe boxes as early as 1910. The Norfolk, Nebraska, teenager with the big ideas, built a Kansas City business and global empire–Hallmark Greeting Cards.

Today, an estimated 145 million cards are sent each year, second only to Christmas cards.

Little-Known Facts

• 85% of Valentine’s cards are purchased by women.
• 6 million couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day every year.
• According to science, red makes you look sexy.
• Candy hearts were originally medical lozenges.

There you have it! Valentine’s Day is a special day we show our affection to one another. We all want love, and St. Valentine was the epitome of selfless love, even to his death. In honor of him and his last written letter, I’ll sign off as,

Your Valentine

May the Middle-Pause be with you!

Send us a valentine and join our street team!

Debbie Walker is a great-grandmother, writer, blogger, and the creator of Middle-Pause & Forward Motion, the podcast STOMP!, MPM Publishing, and is editing a four-book anthology of Middle-Pause writers. Stay in touch at [email protected]; follow her on Facebook; Twitter; Pinterest; & listen to STOMP!