Everyone thinks of Valentine's Day as the day when we all show our love for one another. We think of giving chocolates and flowers to those people that we care about, showing them signs of our appreciation. However, although the origin of Valentine's Day hasn't exactly been pinpointed, a lot of historians can date this holiday back to ancient Rome.
History of the Holiday
Back in Rome, from February 13th to the 15th the Romans would celebrate the feast of Lupercalia. During this "feast", the men would sacrifice animals such as dogs and goats, and then whip women with the hides of the dead animals. The women would line up for men to hit them, believing that the beatings would make them fertile.
There was also a matchmaking lottery involved. Men would draw names of women from a jar, and they would be "coupled" together for the rest of the festival. If the match was right, then they would be together longer.
The Romans are responsible for giving this holiday its name. On February 14th (of different years) Emperor Claudius II executed men with the name "Valentine". Their deaths were honored by the Catholic church by celebrating St. Valentines Day. Years passed and the holiday became more positive, thanks to people such as Shakespeare, who began to romanticize the holiday. The tradition made its way to the New World where cards and gifts became the popular thing to do.
The Man Himself: St. Valentine
At the time, Valentine was a Roman priest who worked during the time that Claudius was Emperor. Emperor Claudius prohibited the marriage of young couples. He believed that a soldier who was unmarried would fight better than a soldier who was married and was too afraid to die and leave his wife alone. Valentine was a big believer in young couples marrying in the Christian church, so he would secretly marry them without the emperor knowing. Once Emperor Claudius found out, he captured Valentine, imprisoned him, and tortured him for performing marriage ceremonies behind his back.
In 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three-part execution. It began with a beating, then a stoning, and lastly, decapitation. According to legend, his last words were in a note to a young blind woman that he prayed over and healed. His last words in the note said, "...from your Valentine."
Because of everything that Valentine stood up for, he is now known as the patron saint of lovers. His death has not been unnoticed by the people. In fact, Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland is one of three churches that claim they have the remains of St. Valentine. Many people travel to this church to honor the memory and courageous acts of St. Valentine.
