From Your Valentine

The History Behind Valentine’s Day

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

Every Feb. 14, the holiday Valentine's Day is celebrated across the modern world. Today the holiday is associated with giving to loved ones, though its origins are unclear. The holiday is commonly known to be named after Saint Valentine, but the achievements and reason behind the dedication to this saint are usually forgotten.

The Catholic Church recognizes three saints that go by the name of Valentine, and although all were martyred, each saint owns a different story. One of the saints, who served as a priest in the third century of Rome, defied Emperor Claudius II by marrying young couples in secret after it was decreed unmarried men made better soldiers. Similarly, the Saint Valentine of Terni was a bishop who was also ordered to be beheaded by Emperor Claudius, although for the crime of attempting to sneak Christians out of harsh Roman prisons. The third saint, who was imprisoned, wrote a love letter to a young girl that was signed, “From your Valentine,” an expression still used today.

There is some speculation that the Christian church decided to celebrate Valentine's day in February to bring more attention to Christianity, rather than the Roman holiday “Lupercalia.” The Romans celebrated this holiday on Feb. 15, and it was a festival centered around the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus. They made sacrifices with the goal to increase fertility, and according to legend, made matches between young women and men that usually ended in marriage.