Valentine’s Day
Note: Underlined words have definitions at the end of this article provided by The Basic Newbury House Dictionary. Definitions with an asterisk (*) are supplied by the author, Bill Perry.
Valentine’s Day is a one-day celebration of romance and love held on February 14th. It began in ancient Greek and Roman culture and later the church changed it. We will look at their traditions in historical order.
The Romans had many gods they worshipped. Lupercalia was a festival that celebrated a god and goddess on February 15th. Faunus was an Italian god of the farmland who later was compared to Pan, the god of nature and herds. Ceremonies were held at Lupercal, a cave in the Palatine Hill. People believed this cave was also the home of Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. Celebrations included each woman choosing a man to show signs of love and give gifts to. These relationships continued long alter the festival ended, and many couples got married.
Because of the love shown in Lupercalia festival, people began to include Cupid, the Roman god of love. His Greek name was Eros. The first pictures of Cupid show him to be a strong, good looking young man with wings. By the mid-300’s BC, he had changed to a fat baby with wings who carried a bow and arrows. People believed when Cupid shot an arrow at someone, that person would fall in love. (The arrow did not hurt.) Cupid and hearts are still the main symbols in modern Valentine’s Day cards and gifts.
At that time Christianity was a new religion. At first many people did not believe in it. There were few Christians and others did not welcome them. Some were beaten, thrown in jail, and lost their jobs or homes. It was not proper to help Christians. Valentine was a Christian pastor who lived in Rome when Claudius II was emperor in the 200’s AD. He was put in jail for helping Christians. Tradition says while he was in jail he wrote
of love to a female friend. Valentine was a man who was true to his faith. He loved and helped those around him. Even the fear of death did not stop him. Sometime around 270 AD soldiers took Valentine out of jail and killed him on the Palatine Hill, the place of Juno’s celebrations. He was buried in the St. Praxedes Church in Rome.
When Europeans started believing in Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church tried to give Christian meaning to holidays [see Halloween]. Valentine’s life and work was a real example of Christian love. Church leaders thought he was a good choice for a holiday to replace the Lupercalia festival. So in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius moved Lupercalia to February 14th, one day earlier and changed its name to Saint Valentine’s Day. However, these changes did not remove the feelings and actions of love that were shown during Lupercalia.
European countries have many Valentine traditions and customs. The earliest customs go back to the 1400’s. At that time, English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, author of Canterbury Tales, first saw birds in pairs on February 14th. Many customs still involve girls and boys becoming a couple for a day to be each other’s “Valentine.” They share Valentine gifts with each other. Single females tried magic tricks to help them “catch” a man that they might marry later. In England during the 1700’s, love letters between Valentines replaced gifts as the main custom of the holiday.
Valentine celebrations in America began in the 1800’s. By 1863 a magazine article said that Valentine’s Day had become the most celebrated holiday in the world other than Christmas. Modern children celebrate Valentine’s Day by making cards for friends and family members in school. These cards are red and white, include hearts and lace paper, and contain words of love and friendship. Pictures of Cupid, hearts and arrows can be seen on many cards in stores. These cards contain messages of love, care or sometimes humor. Over one billion cards are sent each year.
Adults celebrate the day with actions and gifts of love to their Valentine (their husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend). Things like flowers, candy, a romantic night out, a favorite meal, a special gift or almost anything else that is special is the custom for Valentine’s. Ministers in churches may give talks on the love of God. Some couples even get married on Valentine’s Day. Whether we think of Cupid, marriage or God, Valentine’s Day makes people remember that love is an important part of life and should be celebrated.
Vocabulary
couple (noun) – two people (usually a female and a male) who are married, living together, or in a relationship.
humor (noun) – something funny in written, spoken or printed form.
lace (noun) – material, such as silk, made by hand or machine into fine decorative patterns.
magazine (noun) – a small weekly, or monthly, publication that usually includes news, stories, and photos.
magic (adjective) – related to the use of forces outside the laws of nature to make something happen.
romance (noun) – a love affair with excitement, adventure and happiness.
romantic (adjective) – related to love or romance.
symbol (noun) – a sign, mark, picture, object, or event that represents something else.
©Bill Perry. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.
