Valentine’s day is a celebration that many look forward to, and many despise. With the movies, books and cliches, it’s clear that Valentine’s day has become an unignorable part of everyone’s lives. 

Valentine’s Day has been celebrated as the day of romance since the fourteenth century. Although most don’t consider Valentine’s Day as religious, the entire day is named after the Christian Saint Valentine. He was known as the patron of lovers, epileptics and beekeepers. 

Many accounts say that Valentine was the bishop of Terni, Italy, and was killed in Rome. Others portray him as a priest who was killed due to the persecution of Christians by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus. The latter is the more popular tale. 

During the third century, despite its beautiful architecture and military strength, Rome was trying to handle plague, civil war, economic depression and the oppressive rule of Claudius II. 

Claudius II imposed many harsh rules on his people. He decreed that all citizens had to worship the gods of the Roman Pantheon, which made being a Christian an act that was punishable by death. Additionally, Claudius II outlawed marriage, believing it to be an unnecessary distraction and reason for soldiers’ desertion.  

Valentine was one of the early Roman Catholics. He organized covert operations throughout Rome to unite couples in holy matrimony. He received many death threats but was dedicated to his cause until he was captured during a business venture. 

During his imprisonment, Valentine’s jailer was a man named Asterius. Asterius’s daughter, Julia was born blind. It is believed that Valentine tutored her, helped her and cured her of her blindness. This miracle convinced Asterius of God’s existence, making a convert out of him.

Meanwhile, the emperor Claudius took a liking to Valentine. Yet Valentine’s unrelenting pursuit of believers is often considered his hamartia. An attempt to convert emperor Claudius condemned him to death. The night before he was to be beheaded, Valentine wrote a letter to Julia, Asterius’ daughter, thanking her for her friendship. He signed it, “With love, from your Valentine.” 

Despite the lack of clarity on the true story, there is one consistency in all the tales: St. Valentine was a martyr, and the day we celebrate Valentine’s day is the day he was killed. Yet despite the history, the empty flower shops, sold out movie tickets and countless dinner reservations show that the day of love is still and has been a highly anticipated celebration to many.

Sources:

https://youthareawesome.com/valentines-day-morbid-romantic/?doing_wp_cron=1644355072.1899960041046142578125

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

https://www.countryliving.com/life/a46353/history-of-valentines-day/