very February
14, millions of Americans send valentines to people they love. But, as
with many customs, the origin of St. Valentine’s Day is shrouded in
mystery.
WHO WAS SAINT VALENTINE?
Archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church
dedicated to Saint Valentine. But they are not certain if there was one
Valentine -- or two.
Ancient accounts tell the tales of two martyrs named Valentine who
were executed on February 14 sometime during the third century. One was
a Roman priest and the other was the Bishop of Terni, a city about 50
miles away from Rome.
VALENTINE’S DAY AND ROMANCE
Scholars have two main theories to explain how February 14 became
associated with romance.
Theory I: The middle of February
was the time of the ancient Roman Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan fertility
celebration. Maidens would write love notes and deposit them in a large
urn. The men of Rome would pick notes from the urn and then court the
girls whose messages they had drawn.
Theory II: People began sending
love notes on Valentine’s Day in the late Middle Ages. Medieval
Europeans believed that birds began to mate on February 14 and wished to
emulate them.
Both theories blend fact and fancy, so it is impossible to separate
them. We know the first paper valentines date back to the 1500s.
Esther A. Howland, who produced one of the first commercial American
valentines in the 1840s, sold $5,000 worth -- when $5,000 was a lot of
money -- the first year. Americans are such eager lovers that the
valentine industry has been booming ever since.
