Whether you’re sickly sweet in love, in your single era or somewhere in between, Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. Every Feb. 14 in countries like the U.S., France, South Korea, Mexico and more, people use the holiday to express their love for friends, family members and partners.
This day of love is named for St. Valentine, but there is confusion over just which Christian martyr it was christened after. Many assume it was from a priest who signed a letter “from your Valentine” to the daughter of his jailer. He had befriended her and possibly cured her blindness. Others think it may have been St. Valentine of Terni, who may have even been the same man, while others still accept it as a more romantic tale: it is also possible St. Valentine defied an emperor’s orders and secretly married couples so the husbands did not have to go to war.
While the truth is murky, all legends regarding the holiday tell tales of a man who was both heroic and romantic, birthing the holiday of love. The holiday is not solely Christian, and also has pagan roots. Lupercalia was a festival held annually on Feb. 15 in Rome, and served as a lustful and violent celebration. The holiday involved ritual sacrifice of male goats to represent sexuality and a dog, after which the animal blood was smeared onto two naked Roman priests. After, people would feast and tear strips of goat hide from the sacrifices, and then run naked around whipping women.
Despite the violence, there was still an element of love at Lupercalia. Men would randomly select a woman’s name from a jar to be coupled with throughout the celebration. These couples often fell in love and married, staying together until at least the next year’s festival.
Some think the church may have placed St. Valentine’s Day in February to “Christianize” Lupercalia. The pagan holiday was eventually outlawed by the end of the 5th century. Valentine’s Day continued to be celebrated, with messages of love as popular ways to celebrate dating back to the Middle Ages in Britain and France.
By the mid-1700s, exchanging Valentines was popular between all social classes in Europe and in the U.S. Mass-produced Valentines made an appearance in the 1840s in the U.S. Around this time Richard Cadbury created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates, and Necco began producing an early version of conversation hearts.
Mass colonization imposed Valentine’s Day across the world, often combining with local traditions. In Mexico, the Mexica had two divinities which personified love, Xochipilli and Xochiquetzal. The Mexica would fast for four days and make offerings in recognition. This is no longer a part of celebrations of El Dia del Amor y la Amistad, or the Day of Love and Friendship, but many nations before the colonial introduction of Valentine’s Day had their own celebrations of love.
In Japan, Valentine’s Day emerged in the 1950s. In Ghana, Feb. 14 is actually “National Chocolate Day,” a push from the Ghana government since 2007 to increase tourism to one of the largest cocoa producers in the world. In the Philippines, local governments hold mass wedding ceremonies for free for those who are unable to afford a more traditional wedding, making Feb. 14 the most common wedding anniversary in the country.
Traditions vary, as does enthusiasm for the holiday, but Feb. 14 will celebrate all types of love in many places. As cheesy and consumer-based as it can be, it is always a good idea to show your loved ones you love them. Call your mom, plan a galentine's day event or redownload Tinder for a Netflix original movie-style love story. No matter what you do, be glad we’re no longer whipped with a goat to celebrate the season of love.
Katie Millard is a junior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Tell Katie by tweeting her at @katie_millard11.
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