In a world of conspiracy theories and cynicism, it’s hard not to believe that Valentine’s Day was created by Hallmark to sell more cards in the winter. So it may shock some readers that the story of Valentine’s Day spanned millennia.
The symbol of Valentine’s Day, Cupid, was personified in Roman and Greek mythology before the Saint Valentine and formal establishment of Valentine’s Day.
Cupid is the Roman counterpart of Eros, in Greek mythology. The son of Venus (the goddess of love) and Mars (the god of war), Cupid plays a significant role in countless myths regarding the hearts of mortals and gods alike.
The myth of Cupid we remember the most is that his arrows—one gold-tipped set to inspire irresistible love, the other lead-tipped for hatred and immediate aversion—are used to affect the hearts of his targets. The Roman Cupid is often depicted as a playful, often blindfolded child, representing the mischievous, unpredictable, and irrational nature of love.
With the coming of Christianity to the Roman Empire, so came the official Valentine’s Day. Historians debate on the origin of Saint Valentine—some believe it was a combination of two, possibly three men—but they all share a similar story about the saint martyred by a Roman emperor on Feb. 14, so it could just be the fog of history clouding the origin story of the saint.
One popular legend is that a priest, Saint Valentine of Rome, decried the injustice of a Roman emperor, Claudius II, who favored a policy of outlawing marriage for young men, as he believed that single young men made better soldiers. As a local priest, Saint Valentine continued to perform secret marriages for young lovers, defying the imperial decree, until his arrest.
In one account, while under arrest, Saint Valentine is said to have healed the daughter of the local judge, Asterius, who had asked the priest what he could do. The legend speaks of the priest praying for the daughter, and her eyesight was restored, resulting in the conversion of Asterius.
The saint was later arrested again by the prefect of Rome and Emperor Claudius II. After failing to be persuaded by Saint Valentine, and refusing to embrace Christianity, Claudius ordered the death of the priest. He was martyred in Rome on Feb. 21, 269, according to official Catholic hagiographical sources. Pope Gelasius I in 496 declared Feb. 14 to be a feast date to remember his martyrdom for the cause of love and faith.
Before his execution, Saint Valentine wrote to Asterius’s daughter and signed “From your Valentine,” which has since inspired many romantic missives.
The Romans historically celebrated a festival dedicated to the god of agriculture on Feb. 13–15, where matchmaking was often practiced, and it continued into the celebration of Valentine’s Day after the 5th century.
By the time of the Middle Ages, Saint Valentine’s day appeared in many works of literature. Geoffrey Chaucer, the English poet from the 14th century, is credited for poems celebrating Valentine’s Day as a day for lovebirds. One poem attributed to him honors the engagement of King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. In the poem, it references the idea of lovebirds:
For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day
When every fowl comes there to choose his match
Of every kind that men may think of …
The French also wrote Valentine’s messages around that time. One recorded message was from Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife, while he was held prisoner in the Tower of London by the English after the Battle of Agincourt. The letter referred to his wife, “Ma tres doulce Valentinée,” or in English, “My very sweet Valentine.”
Shakespeare also mentioned Saint Valentine in the play “Hamlet”:
To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn’d his clothes,
And dupp’d the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.
By the 1700s, books like “The Young Man’s Valentine Writer” were offering suggested verses for not-so-romantic young men, to help compose their version of love poems. Soon, with the wider availability of printers, preprinted cards started to appear, with verses or sketches for sending paper valentines.
Many of the cards featured the winged Cupid, which is still used today as a symbol of Valentine’s Day. It was popular to mail these premade cards by the early 1800s, even though postage was expensive then. By 1850, it was stated that “Saint Valentine’s Day … is becoming … a national holiday.”
Chocolate maker Cadbury first sold its decorated box of chocolates in 1968 to help young lovebirds exchange as gifts, and by the 20th century, the practice extended to all manners of gifts, like jewelry.
The celebration of the day of love extends beyond the traditional Christian nations. Valentine’s Day is celebrated worldwide, with the Chinese and South Koreans spending the most on Valentine’s gifts in Asia. In South Korea, tradition states that women give men chocolates on Feb. 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14. Those who did not receive any Valentine’s candy would eat black noodles, lamenting their “single life.”
For those who are suspicious of the commercial nature of Valentine’s Day, it may be refreshing to learn that Valentine’s Day—and Cupid—was not born out of a corporate boardroom as some may suggest. It is a living remembrance of a man who died believing in love, and ancient mythology celebrating the unpredictable nature of love. Like the blind Cupid, it may be a mystery as to why we love someone, but we all walk the long journey of those before us, who have loved unconditionally; and for one day, we celebrate that and exchange gifts to show that affection.