Fact File: Tradition of Valentine’s Day

Hello,

As it has just passed I thought I would do a quick post today going into the tradition of valentine’s day itself. I thought I would use it as an excuse to do an additional fact file post for the month, I have already carried out two so far this year, one about octopus and one this month about Aberdeen where I am from. Click on the links and it will take you to those posts. So here goes:

Saint Valentine’s Day (Valentine’s Day for short) is observed on February 14^th each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world.

It began as a celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several stories were invented for the various Valentines that belong to February 14. A popular account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for

performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians who were persecuted under the roman empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An altered truth of to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed “You’re Valentine” as a farewell.

Today they say is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion as well as in the Lutheran Church. (I am in no way religious but I am going to take this as well to the day of eating, I like that!)

The east orthodox church also celebrates this day but on July 6^th and July 30^th (which would be pretty expensive having to fork out for gifts for this day twice in the same month!) This is because the former date in honour of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honour of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.

The day was first associated with “romantic love” in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18^th century England, it evolved into an occasion where lovers expressed their love for each other by giving gifts of flowers and sweets, also sending cards. Which is where “giving out valentines cards“ became valentines.

Valentine’s Day is represented by symbols such as the heart-shaped outline, doves and the figure of the winged cupid. Since the 19^th century, handwritten Valentines have given way to mass produced greeting cards.

Thank you for reading

Katy

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