Valentine’s Day conjures images of roses, chocolates, and romantic dinners. But where did this lovers’ holiday originate? If you’re short on time, here’s the quick answer: Valentine’s Day has its roots in several ancient pagan and Christian traditions centered around love and fertility.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the history behind Valentine’s Day to uncover its deeper spiritual meaning. We’ll learn how this day ties into ancient Roman purification festivals, medieval matchmaking rituals, and the veneration of an early Christian martyr.
The Ancient Roman Festival of Lupercalia
Roman god Faunus
Lupercalia was partly linked to an ancient Roman deity named Faunus, the horned god of the forest, plains, and fields. He was believed to bestow fruitfulness and prosperity on fields and flocks. The festivities connected to Lupercalia involved rituals purporting to promote fertility and productivity, so Faunus was likely seen as a patron god.
An origin myth relates Lupercalia to Faunus discovering an abandoned pair of twins, Romulus and Remus, and sending a she-wolf to suckle them – resulting in the founding of Rome!
Ritual sacrifice and purification
A ritual central to Lupercalia was the sacrifice of a dog or goat at the Lupercal grotto on Palatine Hill, which was supposedly the cave where the she-wolf had nursed Romulus and Remus. The blood of the sacrificed animals was then smeared on the foreheads of two young men, who would laugh to mimic the god Faunus.
The blood likely symbolized purification. After this rite, youths called Luperci would run around the city’s bounds striking bystanders with shaggy thongs called februa, made from the sacrificed goats’ hides. This was apparently another fertility and cleansing ritual.
Romantic lottery matching
There was also a love lottery element to Lupercalia, as the names of available young Roman women were supposedly placed in an urn, while eligible bachelors drew names to pair up romantically for the coming year. This custom may have arisen to replace older rituals like ritual kidnapping.
While the romantic matchmaking aspect likely took on greater prominence over time, fertility and purification symbolism remained throughout Lupercalia’s approximately 1300-year history until Pope Gelasius ended the festival in 496 AD.
| Length of Lupercalia observance | Approximately 1300 years |
| Year Gelasius ended Lupercalia | 496 AD |
The Legend of St. Valentine
Valentinus the priest
The story behind Valentine’s Day centers around a priest named St. Valentinus who lived in Rome in the 3rd century AD. Valentinus was renowned for his piety and devotion to the Christian faith. He rose to prominence as a priest during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II, often risking persecution to perform weddings for young lovers in secret.
Defying Emperor Claudius II
According to legend, Emperor Claudius II issued an edict in the year 270 AD outlawing marriage for young, able-bodied men in Rome. It was feared that single males would make better warriors rather than married men with emotional attachments, so Claudius II forcibly separated male and female lovers to expand his army.
However, Valentinus defied the unjust decree and continued to arrange weddings in secret for lovestruck couples, effectively becoming one of the first “civil disobedience objectors” in recorded history!
When word of Valentinus’ secret wedding ceremonies reached Emperor Claudius II, he condemned Valentinus to death. While awaiting execution in prison, Valentinus befriended his jailer’s daughter who visited him in confinement, eventually healing her from blindness.
On the eve of his death, the priest penned a note to her and signed it “Your Valentine” – a poignant farewell still referenced in the modern valentine greetings of today.
Patron saint of love
St. Valentinus was martyred for his beliefs on February 14, 270 AD, a date now marked as Valentine’s Day on our calendars. Valentine’s defiance in the name of romantic love made him one of the first Christian martyrs venerated by the early Church of Rome.
Soon after, Valentinus became the patron saint for all matters related to love and affection. By 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th as the official feast day of St. Valentine.
These days the Catholic Church still recognizes at least three early martyrs named Valentine (Valentinus) on its liturgical calendar – two from Italy and one bishop from Umbria. All three Valentines lived and died around the same time which explains the strands of competing stories that now intertwine the modern Valentine’s Day.Regardless of the history, St. Valentine’s fearless example continues to inspire star-crossed lovers separated by circumstance nearly 1,800 years later!
Geoffrey Chaucer: Symbol of Courtly Love
Medieval literature and romance
Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the “Father of English Literature,” was one of the most impactful writers of medieval England. Through his writings in the 14th century, he helped popularize the concept of “courtly love” – a system of ritualized courtship practices exalting romantic love.
His most famous work, The Canterbury Tales, incorporated themes of chivalry and forbidden attractions between knights and ladies.
Exalting romantic love
In particular, Chaucer’s The Parliament of Fowls offers an allegorical interpretation of courtly love. In the poem, birds gather to choose their mates and praise romantic affection. Chaucer’s flattering descriptions reveal an almost worshipful attitude toward romantic attachment.
Through such idealistic portraits spread through medieval literature, charges of courtly affection became symbols of virtue, respectability and fine living.
Inspiration for Valentine’s cards and poetry
Centuries later, the Valentine’s Day card tradition retains aspects of courtly admiration symbolized in Chaucer’s era. Many handmade cards and love poems replicate the elaborate compliments medieval knights and ladies exchanged when courting.
The custom of inscribing tender notes to sweethearts continues to inspire each new generation’s artistic expressions of affection, hearkening back to a cherished romantic heritage.
Christianization of Valentine’s Day
Pagan-Christian blending
The origins of Valentine’s Day have roots in both Christian and pagan traditions. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14th as the feast day of St. Valentine in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival celebrated on February 15th.
This demonstrated a common practice in the early church of assimilating pagan festivals into the Christian calendar, allowing recently converted populations to retain beloved cultural traditions.
Lupercalia featured rituals like young men randomly pairing off with women to promote fertility and romance. As Christianity spread through the Roman empire, the church pragmatically absorbed elements of pagan rituals while reinterpreting them through a Christian lens.
So the connection between February 14th and pairing off couples persisted into the Christian celebration of St. Valentine’s day. This blending of pagan and Christian traditions exemplifies the Christianization process.
Religious feast day
In the Catholic church, February 14th remains the official feast day of St. Valentine. However, over the centuries his exact identity became obscure, with various early Christian martyrs named Valentine conflated into a generalized single figure.
Today little is known about the real St Valentine except that he was likely a 3rd century priest martyred under persecution. His remains are housed in a catacomb beneath a church in Rome.
While details are uncertain, the church traditionally recognizes St. Valentine for his willingness to die for his Christian faith. So for devout believers, February 14th retains spiritual meaning related to love in the sense of sacrificial dedication, echoing Christ’s words that “No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
(John 15:13). For Christians, St. Valentine represents this kind of selfless godly love.
Commercialization and secularization
Since the 19th century, Valentine’s Day has become increasingly commercialized and secularized in Western culture. The modern version holds little religious meaning for most participants. Retail stores heavily market the holiday to sell popular items like greeting cards, candy, flowers and jewelry.
Survey data suggests average US spending on Valentine’s Day totals $196 per person as of 2022.
| Year | Estimated spending |
| 2023 | $23.9 billion (projected) |
| 2022 | $23.9 billion |
| 2021 | $21.8 billion |
| 2020 | $27.4 billion |
Given the more than $20 billion in current annual expenditures, the holiday is big business for industries targeting romantic partners. Yet aside from being a popular date night, for most Valentine’s Day bears little connection to deeper spiritual meaning related to genuine love.
Conclusion
As we’ve explored, Valentine’s Day has roots tracing back to both ancient pagan fertility rituals as well as early Christian veneration of a priest who lost his life for the ideals of love and devotion.
Over many centuries, this late-winter, early-spring celebration of rebirth and romantic bonds has continued to evolve.
So this Valentine’s Day, consider the long and storied spiritual history behind the chocolates and roses. Though highly commercialized today, the holiday has origins much more mystical and transcendent than many may realize.
