Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine is popularly associated with romance. The day is eagerly awaited especially by young lovers. But the origin of the day is rather pathetic instead of romantic. There are many stories regarding Valentine’s Day.
Popular History
The most popular story is that during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus also known as Claudius II around 270 A D, a holy priest called Valentine was decapitated. Claudius possessed a powerful army. As he believed that Roman men were reluctant to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families, he outlawed marriage. Valentine defying the unjustified decree arranged marriages for young couples in secret. Claudius discovering Valentine’s secret actions arrested him and accused him of disregarding the royal order. Valentine was offered pardon by Claudius II provided he relinquished his Christian faith and embraced paganism. But Valentine disregarding emperor’s offer tried to convert him to Christianity instead.
First Valentine’s Message
According to prehistoric data Saint Valentine was a doctor with miraculous power. While languishing in prison, he had friendship with Asterious, his jailor. Asterious was deeply impressed by Valentine’s wisdom and power as a physician. The jailor entreated Valentine to assist his daughter Julia who was visually challenged. She needed someone to read materials for her to acquire knowledge. Thus Valentine made friendship with Julia who came to visit him in jail. At last, he cured her blindness to enable her to read by herself. Before his execution Valentine’s farewell message reading “From your Valentine” to encourage Julia to stick to Jesus on 14th February, the day of his martyrdom, is considered the inspiration to people of jotting down love messages. Thus he became the embodiment of the inspiration of romantic love among people.
Pagan Origin
Another story relating to Pagan origins of Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine projects the gloomy picture associated with the day. It is also observed on 14th February every year. The day was designated with the objective of Christianising the Pagan Fertility Festival of Lupercalia, an ancient festival. The festival would be observed in the city of Rome between 13th and 15th February. It was dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture Faunus and founders of Rome who were Romulus and Remus. The day would be celebrated to ward off evil spirits and purify the city revitalising health and fertility.
In ancient time the followers of God Lupercus would observe Lupercali Festival in an exotic way. Men and women were chosen by lot with the young and unmarried girls putting their names in a big urn and the bachelors picking out a name from it. The couples had to live together for a whole year ending in most cases getting married. However, this pagan ceremony was annulled by Pope Gelacius I in 496 AD. It was replaced by a festival in honour of boyfriends, lovers and betrothed wishing their good health, care and protection.
Multiple Valentines
According to Bollandists named after Flemish Jesuit Jean Bolland, an association of scholars, philologists and historians, there were three St. Valentines who coincidentally died on February 14. St. Valentine was “a priest of Rome who was imprisoned for succouring persecuted Christians.” Besides, there are many stories surrounding St. Valentine’s martyrdom. The earliest Valentine was a man who died in Africa with 24 soldiers. However, none of those African, Roman or Umbrian St. Valentines was romantic lovers.
Roses and Chocolates
Another popular tradition of the day is giving flowers. The tradition had been inherited from the time when King Charles II of Sweden was thought to be responsible for introducing the Persian custom of giving flowers, known as the “language of flowers”, to Europe in the 1700s.
Needless to say, heart shaped boxes replenished with chocolates and candies are considered popular gifts of Valentine’s Day. Richard Cadbury, son of John Cadbury, the founder of British multinational confectionary company Cadbury, first marketed packaging chocolates in fancy boxes to boost sales on Valentine’s Day in 1861.
Literary Connection
Reference of Valentine’s Day with romantic love has been found in literature since 14th century AD. Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules, a nearly 700-line poem, is considered the earliest references to the idea specialising St. Valentine’s Day as a special day for lovers. The lines were:
“For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there of chese his make”
[For this was on Valentine’s Day, when every bird comes there to choose his mate]
Besides, many other authors including William Shakespeare had mentioned Valentine’s Day in their writings.
Valentine’s Weeks
Actually, the entire week preceded by Valentine’s Day is dedicated to celebration of love in different nomenclatures including “Rose Day”, “Propose Day”, “Chocolate Day”, “Teddy Day”, “Promise Day”, “Hug Day”, and “Kiss Day” respectively. Every rose has its thorns. Likewise, Happy Valentine Day is followed by Anti-Valentine’s Week as if to celebrate heartbreak due to rejection, separation and hatred. The days mark one’s failure to woo one’s special person. Anti-Valentine Week begins with “Slap Day” on February 15. The day is followed by “Kick Day”, “Perfume Day”, “Flirting Day”, “Confession Day”, “Missing Day” and eventually “Break-up Day”.
The Day in India: Though the British ruled India about two hundred years, Valentine’s Day celebration did not gain popularity until a few decades ago. The usual Valentine’s Day rituals like kissing, hugging and even holding hands between a young boy and a young girl in public are still considered taboo in large sections of our society.
However, the celebration of the day is being explicit in Indian cities, big towns and even villages still in the dark backdrop of honour killing, acid attack, love jihad, anti-Romeo squads organised by self-proclaimed social reformers. Even the day is opted for taking revenge of unrequited love by some frustrated lovers. Ironically, misogyny is surging in the society with the so-called progress of our civilization. The celebration is considered against Indian culture by a large number of people.
Frown of Pandemic
This year lovers have to face estranged and formidable challenges while celebrating Valentine’s Weeks during this pandemic situation caused by virulent coronavirus. Some are advising to maintain strict restrictions in the time of pandemic situation. People should be debarred from physical contacts avoiding “Hug Day” and “Kiss Day”. The card messages in Valentine’s Day, 2021 may well read “Wishing you Happy Valentine’s Day from safe distance.” with the scarlet heart symbols wearing masks. Despite all these gloomy sides, there are silver linings, too. One might find a partner to stand by one when separation, loneliness, joblessness and apprehension have become the new normal in the post-pandemic world.
The First V’day Card
The first Valentine’s cards that date back to the 18th century were handmade and decked with romantic symbols like flowers and love knots. They would be inscribed with poetry, puzzles and riddles to woo the lovers with wit and emotion. There was the custom of the Valentine’s cards to be slipped under the doors of the lovers secretly or fastened to door knockers.
The first pre-printed Valentine’s cards were found in the Georgian Britain, a period in British history during the reign of Hanoverian kings. The oldest printed Valentine’s card in the world was possibly sent by Catherine Mossday to Mr Brown of Dover Place, Kent Road, London. The printed card was hand coloured with cupids, doves and flowers and pierced to produce a lace effect in the corners. A verse printed in the card was thus:
Since on this ever Happy day,
All Nature’s full of Love and Play
Yet harmless still if my design,
‘Tis but to your Valentine.
The first Valentine’s card also included a handwritten message suggesting something intriguing. However, today’s printed Valentine’s cards are mostly embossed with the love symbol of a red heart shaped design with an arrow piercing through it and the picture of red rose symbolising love.
Valentine’s Day cards are often embossed or printed with the common symbol of charming cherub or Cupid armed with bow and arrow. The figure can be traced back to 700 B.C. as Eros, the god of passion and fertility in Greek mythology. By the turn of the 19th century, Cupid had been linked to Valentine’s Day because of his love matching power.
History & Myths
The earliest Valentine was a man who died in Africa with 24 soldiers. However, none of those African, Roman or Umbrian St. Valentines was romantic lovers.
Richard Cadbury, son of John Cadbury, the founder of British multinational confectionary company Cadbury, first marketed packaging chocolates in fancy boxes to boost sales on Valentine’s Day in 1861
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules, a nearly 700-line poem, is considered the earliest references to the idea specialising St. Valentine’s Day as a special day for lovers
Though the British ruled India about two hundred years, Valentine’s Day celebration did not gain popularity until a few decades ago
The oldest printed Valentine’s card in the world was possibly sent by Catherine Mossday to Mr Brown of Dover Place, Kent Road, London
