Day 90

on
THE LOVE CHALLENGE

The History of Valentine's Day

  • The Feast of Lupercalia

 

From February 13th to 15th, the Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia, where they would sacrifice a dog and a goat, and then whip women with the skins of the dead animals (called 'februa' - possibly where 'February' came from), as they believed it would make them fertile. There would also be a matchmaking lottery where men would take the name of a woman out of a jar, and they would be "coupled" until the end of the festival. If the couples fell in love, they would obviously stay together longer.

  • St Valentine



Apparently, there were a few men called Saint Valentine who were all martyred. It is believed that in the 3rd Century A.D., on 14th February, St Valentine was killed by Roman Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was imprisoned for helping persecuted Christians, and secretly marrying Christian couples. While in prison, he tried to convert Claudius to Christianity. This made Claudius angry, and asked Valentine to either denounce his faith or die. He refused, and was ultimately beheaded.

Another belief is that Valentine was imprisoned because he tortured the blind daughter of his jailer. After Valentine and the daughter prayed together, God restored her sight. Just before he was to be executed, her wrote her a letter and signed it "From your Valentine".

In the 5th Century, Pope Gelasius outlawed the celebration of Lupercalia because of it's pagan origins, and stated that 14th February would be the day to honour the martyrdom of St Valentine.

  • Geoffrey Chaucer - Parlement of Foules



In 1382, Chaucer wrote The Parlement of Foules, which contains lines about Saint Valentine, or Sent Valentyne, and this is believed to be the first written account of the link between Valentine and romantic love.

  • Duke of Orleans



While in prison (everything seems to happen fro prison!) Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent letters and poems to his wife, and a letter from 1415 is one of the oldest recorded Valentines to paper.

  • Henry VIII


In 1537, Henry VIII declared that Valentine's Day would be a national holiday.

  • Hamlet


In the 17th Century, Valentine's Day is mentioned in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

  • Love Tokens


In the 18th Century, people started sending each other Love Tokens, which were handmade Valentine's cards, containing poetry and puzzles.

  • Hallmark


Hallmark produced their first Valentine's card in 1913, and this was the start of the commercialisation of this holiday.

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