By Nicholas Tamas-Orlandea
The origins of Valentine’s Day go all the way back to a holiday celebrated by the Romans called Lupercalia.
Around mid-February, the festival celebrated the arrival of spring, but Pope Gelasius I banned the festival during the fifth century due to its inappropriate behavior such as drinking.
However, the actual Valentine’s Day did not occur until the 14th century.
While there are multiple saints named Valentine, it is said that a priest named Valentine was martyred around 270 CE by Roman emperor Claudius II Gothicus.
Legend has it that the priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and healed from blindness, according to some accounts.
Other accounts believe the holiday was named after St. Valentine of Terni, but it is possible the two saints were one person.
Another common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love.
Although, formal messages did not appear until the 1500s, and, by the 1700s, cards were made for the holiday.
Cupid, the Roman god of love, would soon be seen on posters in the United States while doves were used for advertisements.
