Why I Don't Celebrate Valentine's Day

My husband and I have recently been married for only four months. Since we dated, we didn't really see a reason to celebrate Valentine's Day. I had several Valentine's with my Dad being my Valentine. I had two previous beaus who often got the same old stick, rose bouquets and chocolates. But since our last Valentine's Day being a college graveyard date, I think we had had enough for one lifetime.

But while other people celebrate this holiday adorned with jewels, chocolates, and flowers, here are some historical facts and figures in which the people and the old customs were what spurred this romantic and modern work of romance and candy hearts.

Saint Valentine and Early Christianity

Now I didn't go to Catholic school and running my own website about early Christian religions and practices means maybe I need to study some Saints and those holier than thou. (I'm working on using Wix's free website programs for blogs and such to practice website and content management. The website is called The Budding Inquisitor).

Saint Valentine was actually a real person, or persons depending on who is telling the story. They were both murdered for the same reason, they were converting people to Christianity or marrying off Romans or Christian men and that got them shorter military terms or pardons from performing military service. The Emperor at the time did not like that, he was short of men already. So he had Valentine executed. It wasn't until about 494 C.E. that the Pope of the time declared all pagan rituals such as Lupercalia to become practiced on Saint Valentine's Day, we know it as February 14.

Valentine was canonized two years after Pope Gelasius I declared Valentine’s Day a Christian holiday. But he is known as the patron saint of love and happy marriages.

Romans love of blood and whips

Romans, what have they ever done for us? If no one has seen Life of Brian to get the joke, then maybe you need to do your research. But the Romans had their own special holiday before it became Valentine's Day. It was known as Lupercalia. Luper is from the Latin word lupus, meaning wolf. But yes they did include wolves in the ceremony, not for hunting. There is an iconic statue you can find the image online of a she-wolf nursing human babies known as Romulus and Remus, they were the founders of Rome. Their story is similar to the tale of Cain and Able.

Anyway, Lupercalia is a Spring lottery. It is also a festival to mark the birth of Rome with the two human babies that nursed from a she-wolf. The holiday starts with the sacrificial bloodletting of goats. Men are dressed up like satyrs, half-man, and half goat in celebration of the god Pan, they make leather whips from the sacrificial hide of the animals and run around whipping women. Any woman who is whipped from the sacrificial leather is deemed fertile. The other part of the Lupercalia festivities is to lottery off virgin women to men. Young maidens would write their name in an Urn and the men would take out a name and that woman would go with them to bring in the passage of spring.

But while the early celebrations of Valentine's Day were in the past, the modern ways in which we give out our Valentine's gifts came from past items as well. Early cards were supposed to be inspired by the letter Saint Valentine left behind to a daughter of a judge whom he restored her sight. The use of cupid drawn as a cherub with a heart-shaped arrow shows how much the ancient world worshiped multiple Gods for many things on Earth, including love and marriage.

While the world may have multiple or singular religious groups, Valentine's Day is all about spoiling someone you love, but if we thought about just welcoming spring into our home, rather than the objects we desire, perhaps Valentine's Day is a much better holiday than some would agree.

But while the early celebrations of Valentine's Day were in the past, the modern ways in which we give out our Valentine's gifts came from past items as well. Early cards were supposed to be inspired by the letter Saint Valentine left behind to a daughter of a judge whom he restored her sight. The use of cupid drawn as a cherub with a heart-shaped arrow shows how much the ancient world worshiped multiple Gods for many things on Earth, including love and marriage.

While the world may have multiple or singular religious groups, Valentine's Day is all about spoiling someone you love, but if we thought about just welcoming spring into our home, rather than the objects we desire, perhaps Valentine's Day is a much better holiday than some would agree.

Web Resources:

https://www.ancient.eu/Romulus_and_Remus/

https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=159

https://www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day