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by Peter Jackson - February 2006

As many Enderby retailers stock up and place on display Valentine's Day cards and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, we focus on St. Valentine's Day and the history of February 14th.

Who was this guy?

There are a few varying theories as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts will say that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.

According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, at least three Saint Valentines are noted in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February.

So confusion surrounds exactly who St Valentine was.

Of the St.Valentine's mentioned in the Catholic Encyclopaedia, one is described as a priest at Rome, another as a Bishop of Interamna (the present day Terni in Italy) and the other lived and died in Africa.

The Bishop of Interamna theory is popularly accepted as the basis of the modern saint. An early Christian martyr, he lived in northern Italy in the third century and died around 270BC at the hands of the Emperor Claudius II (also referred to as Claudius the Cruel).

'Valentine of Terni' and 'Valentine of Rome' have separate entries in martyrologies and biographies, but many experts believe they are one and the same person.

The Roman Empire was constantly engaged in wars and the Emperor Claudius would summon citizens into battle year after year. Unsurprisingly, many were reluctant to go, especially married men who didn't want to leave their families. Equally, younger men did not want to leave their sweethearts.

The Emperor became an unhappy chappy when numbers willing to serve in the army dwindled. He ordered that no marriages should be celebrated and that 'engagements' should be terminated.

The priest Valentine didn't agree with the Emperor's policy and when young couples came to the temple, he secretly united them in marriage.

The Rome of that time was not a place for keeping secrets, and eventually word of Valentine's acts reached the Emperor Claudius. He commanded some soldiers to take Valentine and cast him into a dungeon.

Despite pleas to the Emperor to release Valentine, Claudius refused and the priest was left to languish in the dungeon where he eventually died. Friends buried him in the church of St. Praxedes.

In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius assigned February 14th as the day to honour 'St. Valentine'.

According to another variation on the theme, whilst in captivity a certain 'Valentine' fell in love with his goaler's daughter. On the day when 'Valentine' was taken to be executed, he wrote and left a letter for his girlfriend. That day is said to be the 14th February and the love letter was signed underneath with the words... "Your Valentine". It can only be seen as ironic that we currently celebrate love on the anniversary of Valentine having his head chopped off!

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Ye Gods...

Among the many gods worshipped by the Romans, one (named Lupercus) was believed to watch over the shepherds and their flocks. To honour Lupercus, the Romans held a large feast in February of each year and called it the 'Lupercalia'.

The 'Lupercalia' festival harked back to the days when Rome was mainly populated by shepherd folk who lived on a hill now known as 'Palantine'. The calendar in use at that time meant that February occurred later than it does in the present day, so 'Lupercalia' was in fact a spring festival.

Each year, on February 15th, the Luperci priests gathered on the Palantine at the cave of Lupercal. According to legend, Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome) had been nursed by a mother wolf. The word lupus is the Latin word for wolf.

Long after Rome developed into the seat of a powerful Empire, the Lupercalia lived on.

In Medieval Europe people believed that birds began to mate on February 14th!

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What did the Romans ever do for us...?

When the Romans invaded France and Britain, they bought their customs with them. One of these customs is believed to be a kind of 'lottery'.

Names of Roman maidens were placed in a box and drawn out by the young men. Each man then accepted the girl whose name he had drawn as his loved-one ...for a year or longer!

The custom of using a lottery to select sweethearts was to continue right up into the 18th century, only falling from usage when people decided they'd rather choose their own specific valentine subjects!

Gradually, February 14th became the day for exchanging love messages, poems and flowers and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Originally there might also have been community celebrations accompanying the bestowing of gifts.

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Commercialisation...

It was perhaps inevitable that as printing came of age, the Valentine's Day tradition would take the same path as other festivals and holidays... and that mass production of cards and gifts would follow.

The oldest written Valentine in existence was made in the 1400's and is currently stored in the British Museum. In Europe, and especially in England, paper Valentines began to be exchanged in place of Valentine gifts. In the early 1800's, factories began to assemble Valentine Cards.

These early cards were hand-drawn black and white pictures produced manually by the factory workers. Throughout the 1800's the cards became more fancy and elaborate, adding real lace and ribbons to the design.

They would have pictures of turtledoves, lovers' knots in gold or silver, bow and arrows, cupids, and bleeding hearts... all the symbols that had become associated with love and lovers.

Interestingly, it is said that in the 12th Century, physicians believed that the heart was the source of love and affection. Of course, in reality the heart has physically no such quality and even the 'shape' is different to that commonly depicted. Some wags speculate that the heart (as commonly depicted in the context of 'love') was originally a doodle caricaturing the female buttocks or breasts. It seems you can select the 'spin' that appeals to you on those theories!

It is common to find 'XXX' (Kisses) splashed across Valentine messages. This tradition began with the Medieval practice of allowing those who couldn't write to sign documents in front of witnesses, making their mark with an "X". It was seen as a sign of sincerity. And so the kiss came to be synonymous with the letter "X".

Some folk believe an "X" was chosen as being a variation on the cross symbol, a kind of 'pledge' in the name of Christ, not least because the "X" (or Chi) symbol is the second letter of the Greek alphabet and has been used in church history to represent Christ.

Valentine Cards came in different flavours:

Acrostic valentines - which had verses in which the first lines spelled out the loved one's name

Cut-out valentines - which were made by folding the paper several times and then cutting out a lacelike design with small, sharp, pointed scissors

Pinprick valentines - which were made by pricking tiny holes in a paper with a pin or needle. simulating the look of lace

Theorem or Poonah valentines - These were designs painted through a stencil cut in oil paper, a process imported from the Orient

Rebus valentines - with verses that contained tiny pictures replacing some of the words. (for instance... a picture of an 'eye' would take the place of the word 'I' )

Puzzle Purse valentines - which were folded puzzles to read and refold. Amongst the many folds were verses that had to be read in a certain order

Fraktur valentines - which had ornamental lettering in the style of the illuminated manuscripts associated with the Middle Ages.

Toward the end of the century, the process was largely mechanised.

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Traditions...

St. Valentine's Day is all about tradition, although the way its tradition manifests itself has varied over time.

During the Middle Ages, young men and women continued the old 'Roman' practice and drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would then wear these names on their sleeves for a week.

The expression "wear your heart on your sleeve" has come to mean that other people can easily recognise how you are feeling.

Centuries ago in England, children used to dress up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went from home to home singing verses like:

Good morrow to you, valentine,
Curl your locks as I do mine.
Two before and three behind.
Good morrow to you, valentine.

A tradition said to emanate from Wales describes how wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. The spoons were 'decorated' with hearts, keys and keyholes. The meaning behind the decoration was "You unlock my heart!"

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A very public privacy...

It is somehow strange that the private business of falling in love should become a public issue, with Valentine messages being published in many daily newspapers.

Lovers 'secret' words and language can be read by many. "Piglet loves Pooh Bear" and "This pixie's heart bleeds for her little elf" are probably sentiments best kept to the parties concerned.

Indeed, St. Valentine's day is an excellent opportunity for 'distant' admirers to drop the hint, albeit anonymously, to the object of their desire.

This is made easier by the use of the internet. With the click of a mouse, Valentine greetings can be dropped, with the speed of light, into someone's electronic mailbox.

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In the final analysis...

Everyone has a hankering to be loved by someone and St. Valentine's Day is the perfect time (anonymously or not) to symbolise and air one's affections. It is estimated that British romantics will spend upward of £22 million on flowers alone around February 14th.

Cut flowers will be flown in from, amongst others, growers in Kenya, Israel, Ecuador, Colombia and India.

Even as this article is being typed, an email has arrived saying "...hurry, only two days to order - A dozen red roses now only £25!

So that's the picture: Emanating from the mist of history, borne on legend and pagan roots, a basic human emotion has rightfully sustained it's various manifestations. 14th February continues to focus the mind on matters of the heart. Long may it continue. Enjoy!

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