Where does the name Valentine come from?
soaked hides of sacrificed animals (yes, really), which they
believed promoted fertility. Later, notes Britannica.com, the
The holiday is aptly named after Saint Valentine, but who women would be paired off with men "by lottery."
exactly was he?
In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I outlawed Lupercalia.
Valentine is likely based on a combination of two Valentines Some contend that he designated the celebration of St.
who were executed on February 14 in different years by Roman Valentine's Day on February 14 to replace the pagan holiday.
Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century A.C.E., according
to NPR. The Catholic Church maybe have established St. When did Valentine's Day become a romantic holiday?
Valentine's Day to honor these two martyrs.
If you're thinking that none of this sounds very lovey-dovey,
Legend says that one of these men, Saint Valentine of Terni, that's because Valentine's Day did not begin to resemble the
had officiated weddings for Roman soldiers in secret, going romantic holiday we know today until the Middle Ages—and we
against the emperor's wishes, making him seen to some as a might have the poet Geoffrey Chaucer to thank.
proponent of love.
The late scholar Jack B. Oruch, a University of Kansas English
Another story involves the practice of writing love letters to your professor, determined that Chaucer was the first to link love with
valentine. It's said that St. Valentine wrote the first “valentine” St. Valentine in his 14th-century works "The Parliament of
greeting to a young girl he tutored and fell in love with while he Fowls" and "The Complaint of Mars," notes
was imprisoned for the crimes outlined above. According to The the Times. Therefore, Oruch claimed, Chaucer invented
History Channel, before his death, he wrote her a letter signed Valentine's Day as we know it today.
“From your Valentine," which remains a commonly used phrase
to this day. At the time of Chaucer's writing, February 14 also happened to
be considered the first day of spring in Britain, because it was
But these romantic anecdotes are only legends. So little the beginning of birds' mating season—perfectly appropriate for
historical information is known about the martyrs named St. a celebration of affection. In fact, Chaucer's "The Parliament of
Valentine that in 1969 the Roman Catholic Church removed the Fowls" is all about birds (albeit anthropomorphized ones)
feast day from its calendar, though St. Valentine is still gathering to choose their mates: "For this was on Saint
recognized as a saint. Valentine’s day, / When every fowl comes there his mate to
take," reads one of the verses.
Does Valentine's Day have pagan origins?
Why didn't Chaucer just write "For this was on February 14…"?
There was a mid-February fertility festival in ancient Roman Poetry aside, it would not have been the convention of the
called Lupercalia, which some believe was a forerunner to times. In a blog post for The Folklore Society, folklorist
Valentine's Day (and the rest of this paragraph is not PG). Jacqueline Simpson explains it this way: "In the Catholic Church
Dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunas, and Roman every day in the year celebrates at least one saint, and for a
founders Romulus and Remus, this feast of debauchery public who had no printed calendars it was easier to remember
involved a ritual where an order of Roman priests ran naked dates by names than by figures."
through the streets, "gently slapping" women with the blood-
Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day? San Valentin’s day quiz 1
Name: ______________________________
Whether or not Chaucer can be fully credited, it is true that he
and fellow writer Shakespeare popularized the amorous 1. When does this celebration actually date back to?
associations surrounding the day. Soon, people began penning 2. Who founded the Cadbury confectionery company?
and exchanging love letters to celebrate Valentine's Day. 3. How did Richard increase sales of the chocolate boxes?
4. What does mean NECCO?
The mid-19th century marked the beginning of many of the 5. Who printed messages into the lozenges candy?
commercialized Valentine's Day traditions we know today.
6. What is the most popular Valentine´s gift?
Victorian men wooed women with flowers, Richard Cadbury
7. What means in Spanish “furry friends”?
created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates, and the New
8. Which genre celebrates the Galentine’s day?
England Confectionery Company, or Necco, began stamping
9. What is the name of the main cards company?
out an early version of Conversation Hearts. Also around this
time, the "Mother of the American Valentine" Esther Howland, 10. Draw a Bouquet
only in her early 20s, popularized store-bought English-style San Valentin’s day quiz 1
valentines in America thanks to her innovative assembly line
process that made the elaborate cards affordable. (Google Name: ______________________________
some of Howland's creations—they will inspire you to DIY your
1. When does this celebration actually date back to?
own Valentine's Day cards!)
2. Who founded the Cadbury confectionery company?
By the early 1910s, an American company that would one day 3. How did Richard increase sales of the chocolate boxes?
become Hallmark began distributing its more official "Valentine's 4. What does mean NECCO?
Day cards." The rest, of course, is history. 5. Who printed messages into the lozenges candy?
6. What is the most popular Valentine´s gift?
What part does Cupid play on Valentine's Day? 7. What means in Spanish “furry friends”?
8. Which genre celebrates the Galentine’s day?
It's not all about St. Valentine! Cupid—that winged baby boy 9. What is the name of the main cards company?
often seen on Valentine's Day cards and paraphernalia—is 10. Draw a Bouquet
another symbol of this love-filled holiday, and it's easy to
understand why. In Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of
Venus, goddess of love and beauty. He was known for shooting
arrows at both gods and humans, causing them to fall instantly
in love with one another. While it's unclear exactly when Cupid
was brought into the Valentine's Day story, it's certainly
clear why.
