It’s the 14th of February and around the world singles, couples and throuples alike are celebrating Valentine’s Day in one way or another – even if that means ignoring it entirely! So today I would like to delve into the history of this day of love and explore the origins of the name and date.
The day itself is named after Saint Valentine, an elusive character in history as there are many conflicting stories surrounding him. The Roman Catholic Church still recognises St. Valentine to be a saint of the church, but he was removed from the Roman Calendar in 1969 as there was not enough reliable information about him. St. Valentine is the patron saint not just of lovers but also epileptics and beekeepers. During my research, I have found that some sources believe that St. Valentine was a Roman priest and physician who was martyred during the persecution of the Christians by emperor Claudius II Gothicus in around 270AD. It is said he was buried on the Via Flaminia in Rome on February the 14th, a day that has been observed as the Feast of St. Valentine (St. Valentine’s Day) since 496AD to commemorate his martyrdom. Other sources suggest that he was the Bishop of Terni in Italy who again was martyred in Rome and moved to Terni along with his relics to be buried. These two stories could indeed be about the same person but have been lost in translation over the centuries.
One story which seems to set up the idea of Valentine’s cards is the legend in which St.Valentine signed a letter whilst he was in jail before his martyrdom “from your Valentine”. He was writing to his jailer’s daughter, a girl he had become friends with (and apparently healed her blindness) during his time there. Another legend suggests he would marry couples in secret and without the emperor’s consent in order to save the husbands from having to go to war.
Relics of St. Valentine were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome which was a popular site for pilgrims to visit throughout the Medieval period. This was until these relics were taken to the church of Santa Prassede during Pope Nicholas IV’s rule in the 13th Century. Adorned in flowers, his skull is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome. If you have seen the 1953 film Roman Holiday then you would recognise this church. It was used to film a scene in which “Joe” (Gregory Peck) shocks and horrifies “Anya” (Audrey Hepburn) by putting his hand in the mouth of the Bocca della Verita and pretending to lose it. Other relics of St. Valentine were also sent to Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin where they can be found today. The church is another popular site for pilgrims to visit on Valentine’s Day for those who are looking for love.
During the Medieval period it was said that birds paired up in mid-February which in turn was associated with the romance of Valentine. Despite there being so many differing stories and opinions, Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated as a day for romance and devotion. However, the day also shares history with the Pagan Roman celebration called “Lupercalia”. This is where, in celebration, blood was smeared on the heads of the people as they ran through their villages in wolf-skins. Not much to do with love and devotion at this point, but the idea was that it would get rid of any lurking evil spirits and welcome in spirits of health and fertility. The famous writer Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem in the 14th century which appears to contain one of the earliest references to the idea that Valentine’s Day was a day for lovers. In the poem, Parlement of Foules, Chaucer writes about a flock of birds who are choosing their mates on St. Valentine’s Day.
The British Library in London is in possession of the oldest known written valentine. It is a poem written in French in 1415 by Charles, Duke D’Orleans to his wife. He wrote it whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London. The British Library is also where you can find the earliest surviving valentine written by a woman. The poem is written in the English language by Margery Brews to her fiancé in 1477. However, the majority of surviving valentines are from the Victorian era, a time where the idea of St. Valentine’s Day cards really took off. These cards were handmade and often were accompanied by a posy of flowers. Flowers were themselves one of the languages of love, many women kept a book of floriography, or the language of flowers, in their houses so they were able to look up what their posy meant. This would mean, of course, that men had to be abreast of the language of flowers so as not to make a mistake!
Nowadays we are faced with a wall of mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards in every supermarket almost as soon as Christmas is over. It is very commercialised and many people do not celebrate it in the new “modern way”. It has always made me rather sad that you only received cards and gifts from a love interest, in school that was how it worked. I of course joked about having to wade through the enormous pile of cards when I got home, I probably would have had trouble opening the front door for the weight of them. The reality was I never got one my whole life, until I met some of the best friends I’ve got when living in Dublin. Long story short, I got dumped the week before Valentine’s Day so we decided to throw an “Anti-Valentine’s” Day where we all sat around a big table and made dinner and drank wine and sang songs. It was fabulous. The tradition continued when a few of us moved to London and it became “Palentine’s Day”. When I met my now-husband, he once, about 5 years into us being together, gave me his button-hole from a gig he had been playing at. I still have it, a pink rose pressed into my Complete Works of Shakespeare. For me, its not about the big romantic gestures, but the small ones. The messages of love from an old friend or the Valentine’s card you get from your Mum when you’re miles away from home. However you like to celebrate this day I hope you enjoy, it’s more important than ever to tell those you love what you feel for them.
Until next time, I send my love to you.
Gilbert Tours 