Origins, symbols of the Day of Love
Ever wonder how Valentine’s Day originated and how certain symbols became synonymous with this day of love and romance? According to scholars, the origins of Valentine’s Day are shrouded in mystery, but there are a few theories that help explain how this celebration came to be.
Valentine’s Day Origins
One theory surrounds the Roman Feast of Lupercalia, held on Feb. 15, and an ancient pagan fertility celebration which was held on Feb. 14. The celebration honored Juno, queen of the Roman gods and the goddess of women and marriage. During Roman times, the lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate.
However, one of their customs was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia, the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl’s name from the jar and would then be partners with the girl he chose for the duration of the festival. Sometimes, the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often they would fall in love and later marry.
Another theory is that during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that Feb. 14 was the beginning of mating season for birds, which supported the idea of having a day for romance in mid-February.
St. Valentine Controversy
There’s also some controversy regarding St. Valentine, for whom the famous day is named. Archaeologists who unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine are not sure if there was one Valentine or more. Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred on Feb. 14 — at least two of those in Italy during the 3rd century.
The most popular candidate for St. Valentine was a 3rd- century Roman priest who practiced Christianity and performed secret marriages against direct orders from Emperor Claudius II, who outlawed marriage for young men because he believed single soldiers were more likely to join his army than those with wives and children.
When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. According to legend, Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting. Before his execution on Feb. 14 in 270 A.D., it is alleged that he wrote a young girl (who visited him during his confinement and who may have been his jailer’s daughter) a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still used on cards today.
Early Christians were happier with the idea of a holiday honoring the saint of romantic causes than with one recognizing a pagan festival. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius named Feb. 14 in honor of St. Valentine as the patron saint of lovers. In 1969, Pope Paul VI dropped it from the calendar. However, the blend of Roman festival and Christian martyrdom had caught on, and Valentine’s Day was here to stay.
Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is unclear, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and, most important, romantic figure.
Valentine’s Day Symbols
Along with Valentine’s Day are certain symbols that reflect the meaning of love and romance. Here is a listing of some of those symbols and a brief synopsis of how each one originated:
1. Heart: In ancient times, the heart was thought to be the source of all emotions. It later came to be associated most directly with the emotion of love. It’s not clear when the heart shape became the symbol for the heart organ. Some scholars speculate that the heart symbol, as we use it to signify romance or love, came from people’s early attempts to draw an organ they’d never seen.
2. Red roses: These flowers were said to be the favorite of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Also, red is a color that signifies strong feelings.
3. Lace: This material has long been used to make women’s handkerchiefs. Hundreds of years ago, if a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man might pick it up for her. Sometimes, if she had her eye on the right man, a woman might intentionally drop her handkerchief to encourage him. As such, people began to think of romance when they thought of lace.
4. Love knots: These symbols of everlasting love have a series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no end. They were made from ribbon or drawn on paper.
5. Birds: Found in Africa, Lovebirds are so named because they sit closely together in pairs - like sweethearts do. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love because they mate for life and share in the care of their babies.
6. “X”: This sign represents a kiss, and the tradition started with the medieval practice of allowing those who could not write to sign documents with an “X.” This was done before witnesses, and the signer placed a kiss upon the “X” to show sincerity, which is how the kiss came to be synonymous with the letter “X,” and how the “X” came to be commonly used at the end of letters as kiss symbols.
7. Cupid: The mischievous son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, Cupid is supposedly responsible for people falling in love.
According to myths, anyone being hit by Cupid’s arrow falls in love with the first person he or she sees. In Greek mythology, Cupid has Eros, the son of Aphrodite, as his counterpart. The names of both of these gods are used synonymously with the concept of love today.