The History of Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day is on Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Photo by Rinck Content Studio on Unsplash
February stands as the month of love with the celebration of Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14. The annual celebration is a day meant to be spent with those you love and cherish. It is usually filled with gifts of flowers and candy, but as the holiday has risen in popularity, its original meaning has begun to fade.
The holiday’s history dates back to the Roman festival of Lupercalia. The event celebrated the beginning of the spring season and would pair women off with men through a lottery system in hopes of increasing fertility rates. Eventually, Pope Gelasius I outlawed the event and introduced a new celebration: St. Valentine’s Day.
There are three different patron saints named Valentine or Valentinus and several different stories of valiance accompany each of them, so it is unknown which saint the holiday actually recognizes.
According to Britannica, “Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus. According to legend, the priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness.” It has also been rumored that it stems from the St. Valentine who went against the wishes of his emperor and secretly married couples to prevent lovers from being separated by war.
A common symbol of this holiday is the God of Love, Cupid, a winged child armed with a bow, arrow and quiver. It was often believed that those who were hit by his arrows would become lovers. He was known as a god of both good and bad as he often made people fall in love, yet he would also use his powers against those already in a relationship, as seen in the story of Apollo and Daphne.
The holiday is also celebrated in Britain, Canada, Australia and many other countries. In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is the most common day to get married. Therefore, it is likely to see mass weddings with hundreds of couples getting betrothed on the special day.
As a college student, this holiday can be hard for some as they may be apart from their loved ones due to busy schedules or long distances. But Marist tries to keep the community in high hopes with events through Student Activities, such as movie nights and others to look forward to.
When asked what they like about Valentine’s Day and their plans for the holiday, Emily Cavanna ‘26 said, “I love Valentine’s Day because it’s an excuse to watch cheesy romance movies, which is probably what I will spend my day doing while eating lots of snacks.”
“Personally, my favorite part of Valentine’s day is the candy, and I will probably spend it getting a Shamrock Shake at McDonald's and buying Cadbury Mini Eggs as I am looking forward to spring break,” added Emma Gaecklein ‘26.