Show of hands how many people actually know how Valentine’s Day began???? A poor result I assume. Some may give the pathetic excuse saying it’s a day to show a loved one how you feel. Please!! Why just have one specific day to spread love! Well, let me warn you, there are so many theories as to the origin of Valentine’s Day that my head started spinning. Still, it was informative and fascinating to learn of. Thought I’d spread the story around a bit. Here goes…
One theory of its origin commenced in the year 269 A.D. during the rule of Emperor Claudius in the city of Rome. It was tradition to celebrate a festival in honour of the God of Fertility known as the Lupercian Festival. It was at this event that young men got to choose their mates. Marriage was a common occurrence during the time but Emperor Claudius feared that men would refuse their duty to fight in order to remain home with their wives. Therefore he outlawed marriages. Adamant young couples refused to accept this ban. Hence they visited a Catholic Bishop by the name of Valentine, in secret, so that he may marry them. Valentine was obliging to do so due to his understanding of love. However upon discovery, Emperor Claudius had Valentine arrested and imprisoned until his execution. During that time it was believed that Valentine corresponded with the daughter of the prison guard by means of letters and eventually fell in love with her. February 14 was the day of his execution and on this day he wrote his last letter to the girl signing it off as, ‘Love from your Valentine.’
Several hundred years later, when American settlers were experiencing the era of cold winter they celebrated Thanksgiving in November, Christmas in December and New Years in January. Upon entering February so as to give a special day of celebration they introduced Valentine’s Day in honour of the Bishop who lost his head in the pursuit of keeping love alive. It was believed that the custom of sending cards on Valentine’s Day began due to Valentine’s correspondence through letter with the prison guard’s daughter.
Well, that’s one theory; a very heartwarming romantic one at that. Though some conflict to the birth of Valentine’s day claiming Pope Gelasius outlawed the pagan festival of Lupercian in 496 A.D. and instead replaced it with a day honouring the martyr St. Valentine. The reason for outlawing the festival was that the ritual of a man choosing a woman by picking her name out of a box tended to lead to fornication and was dispelled as heresy. Note: the viewpoint of ‘going steady’ is not really a modern custom; it originated during the time of the Lupercian festival.
Another more complicated theory of origin; that Valentine was the God Lupercus himself! Valentine was a common Roman name given in honour of a man who was first called Valentine; Lupercus!!! He was also known to the Greeks as Pan and to the Semites as Baal which is another name for Nimrod who was ‘the mighty hunter of the wolves.’ So what’s that got to with love? Well, quite a bit actually.
First taking the day February 14th; it was custom for the mother and child to be present at a purification ceremony forty days after the birth of a child. Nimrod’s original date of birth was January 6th and the celebration of purification commenced on February 14th and went on till February 15th. The mother was purified and she and her son were presented to public society upon the conclusion of the ceremony.
Oh, and also why hearts to symbolize this day??? Well, in Babylonian tounge bal meant heart and since Nimrod was also known as Baal it became his symbol – the symbol of Baal, Lord of the Babylonians.
Another aspect; Cupid. Cupid means ‘desire’ and it was believed that Nimrod was also known as Cupid and that his mother desired him. So much so that she even married her own son!! As he grew up Cupid became the desire of many women which is why men later sent heart shaped love tokens to women as a symbol in honour of Cupid so that women may desire them. Nimrod was the hunter who pierced the hearts of women with his arrows of desire. The epithet Cupid was believed to be concurred in relation to Nimrod being known as a mighty hunter. What a revelation!!!
One last claim to the origin of Valentine’s day if you don’t mindJ Geoffrey Chaucer wrote Parlement of Foules where there was the first ever recorded reference to Valentine’s day. It said;
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.
["For this was sent on Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."]
This poem was written in honour of the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. However this concept was dismissed saying no evidence could be provided to claim that Chaucer was referring to Valentine’s Day, especially claiming that mid-February was not a season for birds to choose their mate.
Hmmm….interesting. Well, may its origin be the legendary Valentine sending love letters to the prison guards daughter or may it be the date of purification of Nimrod and his ability to cause desire among women, Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated throughout the world in many forms. Still, it was fascinating to know how it all began. Now if anyone asks you, ‘How come we celebrate Valentine’s Day’ you have an answer to giveJ
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