Key Takeaways: A Little Love Lore
- The Rebel Priest: Legend says St Valentine defied Emperor Claudius II by marrying soldiers in secret after marriage was outlawed to keep troops "fit" for the military.
- Pagan Roots: The February 14th date may have been chosen by the Church to overshadow Lupercalia, a Roman fertility festival involving sacrificial rituals.
- First "Valentine": Imprisoned in the Tower of London, Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote the oldest known valentine poem to his wife in the 15th century.
- Signed with Love: The famous phrase "From your Valentine" allegedly originated from a letter the saint wrote to his beloved while in confinement.
- Cupid’s Arrow: Our modern cherub is linked to the Greek god Eros, who used golden arrows to incite love in unsuspecting hearts.
Every year, the Western world celebrates Valentine’s Day.
Romance themed gifts, sweets, and cards are handed between lovers on the 14th of February. Its origins began in the 18th or 19th century, when the exchange of handwritten love notes became common, though the history of the day reaches further back, and is far more complex.
History speaks of a third century Roman priest named Valentine, canonised as a Catholic saint for his martyrdom. During the reign of Claudius II, the emperor outlawed marriage as a means to strengthen his soldiers, who he believed would be better fit in the military as single men. Working against this order, St Valentine married couples in secret and was executed for his defiance.
In other legends, Valentine was killed for helping Christians escape Roman prisons. The tale is mysterious and unconfirmed, but it is alleged Valentine fell in love with a young girl during his confinement and would sign her letters ‘From your Valentine’, which has been popularised today.
Sources suggest that the Catholic Church declared St Valentines Feast Day on the 14th to overshadow the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.
During the pagan tradition, Roman priests known as Luperci would sacrifice a goat and a dog before gently touching crops and women with the goat hide. Lupercalia was a fertility festival, and once women were touched with the sacrificial skin, they believed it would enable them to become fertile over the year.
Popularised in the Middle Ages, the oldest known valentine is a poem by Charles, Duke of Orleans. While imprisoned in the Tower of London for his participation at the Battle of Agincourt, Charles wrote to his wife. The poem can be found in the British Library in London.
Another symbol for the holiday is the cherub Cupid, charged with arrows to aim at lovers. Cupid draws parallels to the Greek god of love, Eros, who used golden arrows on unsuspecting men to incite love.
