Valentine's Day Legends Throughout History
Valentine's Day has accumulated a rich tapestry of legends and origin stories over centuries. Here's a comprehensive look at the myths, historical figures, and traditions that shaped this celebration of love.
The Saints Valentine
The most enduring mystery of Valentine's Day is the identity of Saint Valentine himself. The Catholic Church recognized at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all martyred on February 14th.
Saint Valentine of Rome is perhaps the most celebrated. According to legend, he was a priest during the third century who defied Emperor Claudius II's decree banning young men from marriage. Claudius believed unmarried soldiers fought better than married ones. Valentine continued performing secret marriage ceremonies for young lovers, and when discovered, he was imprisoned and executed around 270 CE. Before his death, he reportedly healed his jailer's blind daughter and sent her a letter signed "From your Valentine," giving birth to that timeless phrase.
Saint Valentine of Terni was a bishop who also performed forbidden marriages and was beheaded in Rome. Some scholars believe he and Valentine of Rome may actually be the same person, with details blurred across centuries of retelling.
A third Valentine was martyred in Africa alongside several companions, though little else is known about him. The historical records are frustratingly sparse, leaving us with legends that blend fact and folklore.
The Lupercalia Connection
Many historians link Valentine's Day to Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival celebrated from February 13-15. This raucous celebration honored Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as Romulus and Remus, Rome's legendary founders.
The festival involved priests sacrificing goats and dogs, then using strips of the hides to whip women, who believed this would make them fertile. Young women would place their names in an urn, and bachelors would draw names to be paired with a woman for the year, often leading to marriage.
Pope Gelasius I officially abolished Lupercalia around 496 CE, declaring February 14th as St. Valentine's Day instead. Whether this was meant to "Christianize" the pagan celebration or was simply coincidental timing remains debated among scholars.
Medieval Romantic Traditions
The association between Valentine's Day and romantic love solidified during the Middle Ages, spawning new legends.
Geoffrey Chaucer may have invented romantic Valentine's Day in his 1382 poem "Parliament of Foules," which celebrated the engagement of England's Richard II to Anne of Bohemia. He wrote: "For this was on Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate." This linked February 14th with courtship, though Chaucer likely meant a different St. Valentine's feast day in May, when birds actually mate in England.
The Duke of Orleans wrote the oldest known Valentine letter in 1415. Imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt, Charles, Duke of Orleans, penned romantic verses to his wife, calling her his "very gentle Valentine." These poems survive in the British Library today.
Medieval Europeans believed February 14th marked the beginning of birds' mating season, reinforcing the day's romantic associations. Young people would write the names of potential sweethearts on slips of paper, draw them from a bowl, and wear them pinned to their sleeves for a week—possibly the origin of "wearing your heart on your sleeve."
Global Love Legends
Different cultures developed their own romantic legends that parallel or intersect with Valentine's Day traditions.
The Chinese Legend of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl tells of Niulang and Zhinu, lovers separated by the Milky Way who can meet only once yearly on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month (Qixi Festival). While not related to Valentine's Day historically, it's now called "Chinese Valentine's Day."
In Japan, White Day (March 14th) emerged as a companion to Valentine's Day, when those who received gifts in February reciprocate. This stems from a 1978 marketing campaign by a confectionery company.
Brazilian legend holds that on June 12th (the eve of St. Anthony's Day, patron saint of marriage), unmarried women perform rituals to find husbands. St. Anthony supposedly reunites lost items and lost loves, making him Brazil's "matchmaker saint."
Victorian Sentimentality
The Victorian era transformed Valentine's Day into the sentimental celebration we recognize today. Mass-produced Valentine cards appeared in the 1840s, with elaborate lace, ribbons, and romantic imagery.
Esther Howland became known as the "Mother of the Valentine" in America. After receiving an ornate English Valentine in 1847, she began producing decorative cards using lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures, creating a business that earned $100,000 annually by the 1850s.
Victorian "vinegar valentines" or "penny dreadfuls" offered a darker tradition: insulting cards sent anonymously to unwanted suitors or people one wished to mock. These featured crude illustrations and mean-spirited verses, revealing the holiday's complicated social dynamics.
The Victorian "language of flowers" added layers of meaning to Valentine bouquets. Red roses meant passionate love, forget-me-nots signified remembrance, and yellow roses could suggest jealousy or friendship depending on context.
Modern Mythology
Contemporary Valentine's Day has generated its own legends and commercial myths.
The Hallmark conspiracy theory suggests greeting card companies invented Valentine's Day to sell cards. While Hallmark didn't create the holiday (it's centuries older), the company began mass-producing Valentine cards in 1913 and certainly popularized modern celebrations.
The Sweethearts candy story involves those small conversation hearts. Created in 1866 by the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO), they were originally called "motto hearts." The brief messages evolved with language: "Groovy" in the 1960s, "Email Me" in the 1990s, and emoji-style messages today.
Anti-Valentine's movements have spawned their own counter-legends. Singles Awareness Day (S.A.D.) emerged in the 1990s as a humorous protest. In India, Hindu nationalist groups have protested Valentine's Day as a Western corruption, while some have promoted alternative celebrations of Indian culture.
The Universal Thread
Despite wildly different origin stories, a common thread runs through Valentine legends: love's power to transcend barriers. Whether it's a priest defying an emperor, a duke writing from prison, lovers separated by the Milky Way, or modern people braving commercialism to express affection, Valentine's Day legends celebrate the human impulse to connect, often against considerable odds.
These stories remind us that while the holiday's exact origins remain murky, the desire to celebrate love and partnership is genuinely ancient and remarkably persistent across cultures and centuries. The legends may be embellished, the saints possibly conflated, and the commercial aspects undeniable, but the core sentiment endures: one day set aside to honor the most universal human experience.
