The Truth Behind Valentine’s Day

In this article, I'm going to walk through the history of Valentine's Day, exploring its roots in ancient Roman traditions, mainly the Lupercalia (Luper-KAY-lia) festival, and its transformation into a globally commercialized celebration of love, sexual desire, and lust. It traces back to a supposed "Christian feast" dedicated to a martyr, all the way to the commercialized event we know today.

This isn't an exhaustive history of Valentine's Day, but consider this the footnotes of its origins, highlighting the syncretism, the intertwining of pagan practices with Christian traditions. Hopefully, this will encourage you to reflect on your choices in light of Scripture and take a mindful approach to man-made traditions that stray from biblical teachings.

Some say that not all of the traditions or history of this holiday have pagan origins, but it's up to you to determine that as you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

So let's dive into the origins of Valentine's Day and explore how this day came to be.

MODERN VALENTINE'S DAY

Each year on February 14th, people around the world celebrate Valentine's Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Valentine, a day with diverse expressions of love, lust, and commercial significance.

In the 8th century, the Catholic liturgical text called the Gelasian Sacramentary, which is a book with prayers and sacramental rituals for celebrating the Eucharist, records the observance of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14th. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the day became connected with so-called romantic love, influenced by the growing concept of courtly love and its connection to “lovebirds” of early spring. By the 18th century in England, it had evolved into an occasion for couples to express love through the exchange of flowers, sweets, and specially crafted greeting cards known as "valentines." Today, symbols like heart shapes, doves, and the winged Cupid remain common. The 19th century witnessed a shift from handmade to mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards. In Italy, Saint Valentine's keys symbolize a romantic gesture, an invitation to unlock the giver's heart. They're also given to children to protect against epilepsy, known as Saint Valentine's Malady.

While Valentine's is not recognized as a public holiday in any country, Saint Valentine's Day holds official feast day status in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. In some parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is celebrated on July 6 to honor Roman presbyter Saint Valentine and on July 30 for Hieromartyr (he-air-o-martyr) Valentine. "Hieros-" comes from Greek meaning "sacred" or "priestly." So a "hieromartyr" refers to a priest who has been martyred for their faith. July 30th, Hieromartyr Valentine is in honor of the Bishop of Terni.

PAGAN & CATHOLIC ORIGINS: LUPERCALIA

With that said, the true origins of Valentine's Day can be traced back to both ancient Roman paganism and Catholic tradition. One key influence is Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival that took place between February 13–15 in honor of Pan and Juno, the pagan gods of love, marriage, and fertility. The festival celebrated the coming of spring, fertility, and the pairing of men and women. It was one of the oldest and most popular festivals in Rome, with a long and complex history. Many believe it served as a precursor to Valentine's Day, sharing several symbols and customs, such as the lottery, the cards, and the date.

KEY ASPECTS OF LUPERCALIA

It was a festival of purification, fertility, and renewal. The festival was named after Lupercus, a god of shepherds and wolves, who was also associated with Faunus, the Roman god of nature and fertility. Some identified Lupercus as a variation or aspect of Faunus, or as the Greek god Pan. Faunus had several wives and lovers and basically was the counterpart to the Greek god Pan, who is also well known for his promiscuity and seducing women and goats. Lupercalia was also linked to the legend of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, who were said to have been nursed by a wolf mother in a cave called Lupercal, where the festival began.

The festival involved two groups of priests, called Luperci, who were chosen from the noble families of Rome. The Luperci sacrificed goats and dogs because they symbolized sexuality and fertility. The goats represented the lustful nature of Faunus and the dogs were associated with purification and protection and were a way of honoring the legend of Romulus and Remus feeding off the wolf mother. The blood of the animals was used to mark the foreheads of the Luperci with a bloody knife and was cleaned off with wool dipped in milk. The Luperci then ran through the city and around the Palatine Hill, the site of Rome's foundation, mostly naked or near naked, wearing goat skins, whipping women with the skins of the animals fashioned with wool threads and branches from a pine tree called februa to impart fertility, ease childbirth, prevent miscarriage, and purify the city.

There are some writings that say that the festival might have had a lottery, in which the names of young women were placed in a jar and drawn by young men. The couples were then paired for the duration of the festival, and sometimes for longer. This was seen as a way of promoting love and marriage in the city, but this is highly contested, whether it happened at the origins or later in history.

Lupercalia was celebrated with feasting, drinking, dancing, and singing. It was supposedly a time of joy and cheer, as well as sexual freedom. It was also, obviously, a time of honoring the pagan gods, the ancestors, and of purifying the city from evil influences.

While the Lupercalia festival played a key role in shaping the early foundations of what would become Valentine's Day, the connection to romance began to take a more defined form as the festival was adopted by the Catholic Church. The connection with romance took shape through the Catholicization of this festival.

As time progressed, Valentine's Day morphed into a supposed celebration of love and affection.

The initial link between Valentine's Day and romance is thought to have come from the poem "The Parliament of Fowls" or "The Parliament of Birds" in 1382. In this dreamlike narrative, birds look for companions on St. Valentine's Day with the help of Lady Nature. The poem commemorates the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard the 2nd of England, who was only 15 years old at the time.

WHO WAS “SAINT VALENTINE”?

There were several early Catholic martyrs who shared the name Valentine, and some of them are honored on February 14th. However, the exact identity and biography of which saint inspired the holiday are unclear and debated by scholars. Here are some of the most common legends about the martyrs named Valentine.

A priest in Rome named Valentine, who is now known as Valentine of Rome, was arrested and executed by Emperor Claudius the 2nd around the year 270 AD for his faith and for secretly officiating weddings for Christian soldiers against the emperor's orders. He allegedly wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter, whom he had healed from blindness, and signed it "from your Valentine" before his death. Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Claudius in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed.

Another Valentine was the bishop of Terni, Italy, who was also martyred in Rome during the persecution of Emperor Aurelian around 273 AD. His relics were later taken to Terni, and a basilica was built over his grave. He is sometimes confused with Valentine of Rome, and some sources claim that they are the same person.

There is also a Valentine in Africa who was martyred along with several companions there. Little is known about him and his church affiliation, except that he suffered for his faith. The feast day in his remembrance is also on February 14th.

The stories of these so-called saints have been exaggerated and mixed over time, making it challenging to separate fact from legend.

CUPID, HEARTS, & SYMBOLS

As for Cupid, the Roman deity associated with desire, erotic love, attraction, and affection, he is more recently portrayed as a winged child and, earlier, as a young man. Either way, he is portrayed with a bow and arrow. He is also the child of Venus, the goddess of love, and Mars, the god of war, with his Greek counterpart being Eros, another god of love. His arrows have the power to make people fall in love with the first person they see after being hit. He sometimes uses two kinds of arrows: one with a golden tip that causes love and one with a leaden tip that causes hate. He also has a torch that can inflame or extinguish love. He is also associated with the phrase “love conquers all,” which comes from a Latin poem by Virgil that features Cupid. He is widely recognized as a symbol of love on Valentine's Day, and he continues to be a notorious figure.

And the well-known heart shape that is recognized as a symbol of love has a history that stretches back centuries, with its iconic form having been popularized by the Vatican to symbolize the so-called Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Numerous theories surround the heart shape's origin, and one widespread idea ties it to Francesco Barberino's 14th-century Italian poem, Documenti d'amore. This poem was widely circulated at the time, and it featured drawings of heart shapes very similar to the heart shape as we know it. Before this, depictions of the heart varied; it was either an upside-down heart or resembled a pinecone, ivy, or a waterlily leaf, which all were influenced by ancient Roman, Greek, and Egyptian cultures. Some suggest that the heart shape may have come from the now-extinct silphium plant seed that was native to North Africa, known for its distinct heart-like shape.

In ancient cultures, such as Greece and Rome, the heart held significance as the center of human emotions and affection.

The stylized heart shape we now associate with love gained widespread recognition during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, particularly in the realms of love poetry and romantic art.

While the exact origin remains somewhat mysterious, the heart shape's enduring association with love and romance has solidified over the centuries, becoming a symbol deeply ingrained in cultural expressions of affection all around the world, notably observed during events like Valentine's Day.

Oh, and the theory that the heart shape represents the rounded silhouette of a woman's bum when bent over has no historical evidence to support it. This idea is more of a modern take on the heart rather than the origin of the symbol.

A BIBLICAL LOOK AT VALENTINE’S DAY

Wrapping things up, looking at Valentine's Day from a biblical perspective should make us reflect on the origins of this celebration and its connection to both ancient Roman paganism and Catholic traditions, such as veneration. As believers, it's necessary to approach such traditions and pagan practices with discernment and an understanding of their historical context.

From a biblical standpoint, we can acknowledge that the origins of Valentine's Day are mixed with festivities which celebrated fertility, promiscuity, and love in ways that conflict with biblical doctrine. The evolution of Valentine's Day from ancient paganism to a global celebration of romance raises questions about its compatibility with godly principles.

While the stories of the early Catholic martyrs might be inspiring, it's critical to recognize the historical uncertainties and legends that have accumulated over time, the biblical prohibition of veneration, and the celebration's transformation from religious observance to a commercialized event, which raises concerns about the influences on the day.

As true followers of the Bible, we should be mindful of the potential conflicts between popular celebrations and the foundational principles of our faith. This should lead us to be thoughtful and intentional with our approach to participating in or avoiding cultural practices that stray from biblical teachings.

In looking at Valentine's Day, it’s an opportunity to look within ourselves and see how our choices line up with the Bible. It might mean rethinking the meaning behind symbols like Cupid and digging into their historical and cultural origins.

CONCLUSION

Whether you choose to take part in Valentine's Day celebrations or not, the key is approaching it with an understanding of its historical background and making sure your choices line up with biblical principles.

At the start I said this isn't a full history of Valentine's Day and its traditions. There are probably some details I missed, but I tried to cover the main points about where the traditions and the day itself came from.

In the end, the real issue isn’t how the world treats Valentine’s Day, but what you choose to do with it before YHVH.