St. Valentine's Day

St. Valentine's Day is February 14th.

Most of what is known about Saint Valentine (Latin: Valentinus) is legendary. In fact, historians are not completely sure which Valentine is commemorated on February 14. The commemoration may refer to up to three Valentines. The first was a Roman priest martyred on the Flaminian Way under Roman Emperor Claudius (c. AD 269). The second was a bishop of Terni (ancient Interamna), born around 175 AD, who was taken to Rome and martyred. The third Valentine was a martyr in the Roman province of Africa, about whom little else is known. The accounts of martyrdom of all three Valentines are legendary, although each legend may contain kernels of fact. All three were likely martyred, hence the color of red that is used liturgically (although the reason red is associated with modern St. Valentine celebrations is likely because red is the color of some roses). The "Acts" of Saint Valentine are of medieval origin (6th-7th centuries), and are historically unreliable. The name Valentine was popular in antiquity, as it is derived from the word valens, "worthy."

Over time, the feast grew in popularity and, eventually, began to be associated with love and lovers. Some scholars have speculated that the association with romantic love on Valentine's Day is related to customs associated with the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which fell in mid-February. Others believe that the connection of Saint Valentine's Day to romance relates to the natural season in which the feast falls. However, medieval scholar Jack Oruch, in the July 1981 issue of Speculum (Journal of Medieval Studies), makes a strong case that the Saint Valentine's Day connection to love and romance derives solely from Geoffrey Chaucer's Parliament of Foules. Even though Chaucer connects the romantic overtones of Saint Valentine's Day to ancient customs, Oruch effectively argues that no such traditions existed before Chaucer's time. Thus, modern research suggests it is unlikely that secular Saint Valentine's Day customs are pagan practices derived from the Roman Lupercalia.

Modern customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day are traced back to the 1840s when Leigh Eric Schmidt essentially reinvented the holiday. The first mass produced "valentines" were made in 1847, and by the latter half of the twentieth century, giving all sorts of romantic items (besides just cards) became associated with Valentine's Day. In some schools, it is a custom for classes to exchange valentine cards with all other students in the class. While secular customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day are either morally neutral or even good (such as giving gifts), the modern secular holiday has little connection to the original saint(s) or feast.

From ChurchYear.net

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