Even though Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday in any country, everyone knows that Valentine’s Day is on February 14. Especially in English-speaking countries. When I think of Valentine’s day I envision little hearts with chubby cupids shooting arrows and lots of pink and red everywhere. It’s a symbolic day for lovers to express their love.
Possible Origins of Valentine’s Day
The celebration of Valentine’s Day has its roots in religion. The fact that it is also called ‘Saint Valentine’s Day’ might have been a bit of a giveaway. An early Christian martyr named Valentine is said to be the source of the modern day St. Valentine’s Day. Although there are no documents to verify the original event, a work called Passio Marii et Marthae published a story of Saint Valentine of Rome only a century or two after the fact.
The martyrdom story of Saint Valentine of Rome begins during the third century when he was imprisoned. There are many reasons floating around why he was jailed. The most plausible one I found was that Valentine’s crime was helping Christians escape harsh Roman prisons.
While he was in jail some say he performed a miracle by restoring the sight to Julia, the blind daughter of his jailor. Because of this, the jailor along with the 46 members of his household all converted to Christianity and were baptized. Another version just says he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter. It is also said that Valentine, whose name, by the way, means ‘strong’, was interrogated by the Roman Emperor Claudius II himself. The Emperor tried to convert Valentine to Roman paganism in order to spare his life. Valentine refused and instead tried to change the Emperor’s views to Christianity. That didn’t sit well with the Emperor who ordered Valentine to be beheaded.
Shortly before his execution it is said that as a farewell he wrote a letter to Julia and signed it ‘from your Valentine’. By all accounts this saint was a sympathetic, heroic and romantic figure to say the least.
And here I thought it was just a commercial celebration made up by merchants who wanted to give people a reason to buy cards, chocolate and red roses. How silly of me.
Why February
The reasoning for why February 14th, is not an exact science. Some claim that that is the date that Valentine either died or was buried.
As with other Christian celebrations, some claim that it was chosen to coincide with a pagan celebration. Lupercalia was held every year in Rome on February 15th. The Lupercalia celebration was substantially different than the romantic Valentine’s Day we know. It was a violent, sexually-charged fertility festival with substantial animal sacrifices. The intent of the festival was to ward off evil spirits and increase infertility. After Lupercalia was deemed ‘un-Christian’ Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day
It wasn’t until much later that the day was associated with romance and love. The English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to associate Valentine’s Day with romance in his poem ‘Parliament of Foules’. Which is a dream vision portraying a parliament for birds to choose their mates. It was in honor of the first anniversary of the engagement of fifteen-year-old King Richard II of England to fifteen-year-old Anne of Bohemia.
This is a modern English translation of the poem which Chaucer wrote in Middle English:
‘For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day
When every bird comes there to choose his mate
(Of every kind that men may think of!),
And that so huge a noise they began to make
That earth and air and tree and every lake
Was so full, that not easily was there space
For me to stand—so full was all the place.’
But was he really writing about THE Valentine’s Day? Possibly, but maybe not. Henry Ansgar Kelly, a Research Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles, has challenged that Chaucer might have meant the feast day of St. Valentine of Genoa which was probably celebrated on 3 May. Due to an agreement providing for Richard II and Anne’s marriage, was signed on May 2, 1381.
How Cupid got Involved
Cupid, the winged warrior of love, was adopted by the Romans from the Greek God of love, Eros. So he is a Roman God with his roots in Greek mythology. Both Cupid and Eros names stem from the word ‘desire’.
Eros was a handsome immortal who caused mayhem by playing with the hearts of Gods and men. He used his golden arrows to inflame love. At some time during the Hellenistic period he became the less-threatening chubby cherub Cupid we know today.
What better way to put love into something than getting cupid involved.
Valentine’s Day Greetings in Switzerland
I would venture to say that in Switzerland, although everyone knows of Valentine’s Day, very few people actually celebrate it. If my husband and I happen to be at the store on February 14th, we might pick up some chocolate or flowers if we think about it. Wow, a lot of conditionals in that sentence but it’s a good bet that many other Swiss feel this way, too.
I saw an amusing and pretty much worthless chart of what Swiss supposedly prefer to give their partner for Valentine’s day. It was broken down into three categories: French, German and Italian speaking Swiss. It seems that flowers are the top pick for both the German and the French speaking population, food follows a close second (chocolate or going out for a romantic meal). The Italian speaking region thinks that love is reached through the stomach first and then with flowers.
Third place seems to back up a French stereotype. Giving sexy undergarments for Valentine’s day placed third for all three regions. Still, an astounding 10% of the French Swiss compared to 3.5% of the Swiss German said that’s what they gave. Ah yes, we saw something similar to that happen during the surges of the pandemic. Then, the people in the German speaking regions of Switzerland were stockpiling toilet paper while the French speaking regions were out buying condoms.
St. Valentine’s Day Nowadays
Nowadays February 14th stands for love and romance. For most of the couples I know, anniversaries and birthdays are far more important than Valentine’s Day. But the amount of chocolate hearts and red roses for sale tells a different story.
Valentine’s Day meant pure romance for my cousin who got married on that day. Only, I’m not sure if he was overly romantic or if he just never wanted to accidentally forget his anniversary. Probably a combination of the two. At any rate, there was always an abundance of chocolate and flowers to be bought before and on his anniversary.
Of course, if you are the forgetful kind of person and don’t want to opt for February 14th as a wedding date you could do what my brother did. He got married on February 29th. Not that February 29th is associated with love and romance but that’s a special date because of its rarity. You only have to remember the occasion every four years or so.
This might be jumping the gun a bit but happy Valentine’s Day everyone. For all you lovers and romantics out there who don’t need one special day to be romantic, enjoy your romantic day today.
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