February 14th, better known as Valentine’s Day, is getting really close. For some a long awaited highlight of romance, for others a day to stress out about what on earth they should buy for their loved one, this short after Christmas… But is this romantic holiday a real holiday or is it made up by big companies to sell their sugar coated cards and roses?

Let’s dive in to the mysterious history of the 14th of February to find out. According to the legends there are at least three Saint Valentines, all of whom were… martyred. One of them was a Roman priest who joined young Christian couples in marriage. Very noble, don’t you think? Well, he actually got imprisoned for that, because the Roman emperor at that time, Claudius, was convinced that unmarried men made better soldiers. When Valentine’s actions were discovered he was put to death.
According to another legend, Valentine actually sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself. While he was in prison, the young Valentine fell in love with a girl. Right before his death he sends her a letter, which he signed with ‘From your Valentine’, an expression some of us still use today. Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th of February to commemorate his death. Whatever is true about these legends, they certainly show us a very romantic young man. And isn’t that where it’s all about?
Others believe that the Christian church invented Valentine’s Day in an effort to ‘Christianize’ the ancient Lupercalia. Lupercalia was a fertility festival, held at the beginning of the spring, mid-February. At these festivities the names of all young girls were written down and they put them in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would then each pick a name and become paired for a year with the chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
If all of these legends and interpretations are really true, remains an open question. Valentine’s Day, as a romantic holiday, only got popular during the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th century it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to send each other small tokens or handwritten notes. Nowadays the pre-printed postcards replace these notes.
Anyhow, we shouldn’t break our head over the most original Valentine’s present for our lovers, but just go back to basics and make some time for each other and write some really sincere sweet words. Isn’t that romantic? |