February 14 is Valentine’s Day. It’s a day for chocolates, cards and romantic gestures toward the special people in our lives. But where did the idea for this day come from?
Religion, as it turns out. Christianity, in particular.
It began as a feast day for a Christian saint, St. Valentine, who was a leader of the church in Rome in the third century.
Valentine was executed by beheading on Feb. 14 in the year 270 by Emperor Claudius the Second for refusing to worship the emperor. This was seen as an act of disloyalty to the empire.
Valentine was canonized more than 200 years later, in 496. Feb. 14 was chosen as his official feast day. It was intended to be a day to remember and celebrate his willingness to die for his faith in Jesus Christ.
How we got from a beheaded saint to giving cards and chocolates was a gradual process.
It started with a story that emerged after Valentine’s death linking him to love. According to the story, he defied the emperor’s ban on soldiers marrying by performing secret weddings for them.
That idea was picked up in the 14th century by the famed English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer wrote a poem, The Parliament of Fowls, about a folk belief that birds chose their mates on Valentine’s feast day. He linked that idea to human love. It is considered the first St. Valentine’s Day poem.
After that, the idea of sending “valentines” — as they came to be called — became more popular. By the 17th century in England, it was common for lovers to exchange small tokens of affection on Feb. 14.
In the 19th century, commercial printing made it possible to print and send mass-produced cards. That is also when chocolate entered the scene, after England’s Cadbury company made the first Valentine’s Day-themed chocolates.
Things really took off in the 20th century. The Hall Brothers printers in Kansas City realized Valentine’s Day would be a perfect opportunity to make and sell lots of cards. Today, we know of the company as Hallmark, which has become synonymous with Valentine’s Day.
Although St. Valentine is mostly forgotten today, his feast day is still on the church calendars for Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans and Eastern Orthodox Christians. It is a minor day for them all, though.
At least two other religions have something similar to Valentine’s Day. Judaism has Tu B’Av, sometimes called the Jewish Valentine’s Day. It’s an ancient festival associated with matchmaking and marriage that is especially popular in Israel.
Hindus have a festival celebrating Kama, their god of love. It emphasizes love for family, community and humanity.
Buddhism and Islam, however, do not have a specific day dedicated to love. Rather, they emphasize love for partners, family and others year-round.
Valentine’s Day is not the only religious day taken over by culture and commerce. The most obvious example is Christmas, with its gifts and trees and lights and Santa. Easter is another, with its chocolates and eggs and bunnies.
Lesser well known is All Hallow’s Eve, on Oct. 31. In the church calendar, this is the evening when Christians prepare themselves for All Saints Day on Nov. 1. Of course, most people today know of it as Halloween, a time for trick or treats.
And let us not forget St. Patrick’s Day, which has become for many a day to drink and celebrate all things Irish. Its original purpose was to honour the saint who brought Christianity to Ireland.
There are a few special days in the Christian calendar that have not been taken over for commercial purposes, such as Epiphany, Pentecost, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Unlike Valentine’s Day, nobody has figured out how to make money off them — at least, not yet.
