| Published: N/A |
| Date: February 2008 |
| Section: News |
Comments: For the record...this story was done and turned in by 10:00 a.m. on February 13, so my title was in no way related to or referencing the shootings that occurred on my campus (NIU) a day later. |
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By: Ian Essling
Many people know Valentine's Day only in the context of the late 20th and early 21st century: chocolates, cards, flowers, chocolates, romantic dinners and, well, chocolates.
However, the history of Valentine's Day is a bit checkered and much less well known, as the traditions and origins behind the 'most romantic day of the year' are rather varied and, in some cases, not quite so romantic.
The holiday has its roots in legends that belonged to both Christian and Roman culture, according to Cheryl Lemus, an NIU Ph.D. candidate in history.
"There are several myths about St. Valentine and why Valentine's Day is celebrated in February," she said, "Like many holidays, Valentine's Day was 'Christianized,' as the Catholic Church, hoping to spread Christianity, adopted many 'pagan' celebrations."
The Roman Catholic feast of St. Valentine, which falls on Feb. 14, is named for a martyred saint who died on that day in the third century. Christianity was a persecuted faith at that point in history, as the Roman emperor, Claudius II, had banned marriage, claiming that it "decreased his soldier's zest for battle."
A priest named Valentine, however, performed marriages in secret for those that wished it. When Claudius uncovered what was happening, he arrested Valentine and had him imprisoned.
Valentine was given the choice of renouncing his faith or facing death. When he refused to deny his religion, he was executed and later canonized as a saint. Before he died, however, he inadvertently started one of the main traditions of Valentine's Day: the giving of Valentine's cards.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, the practice of giving 'valentines' began while Valentine was in prison. After meeting the blind daughter of his jailer, the priest felt pity for her and offered up prayers for her healing.
As the legend goes, the girl's sight was "miraculously" returned to her. Valentine became friends with the girl, and on the night of his beheading, wrote her a farewell message that ended with, 'From your Valentine.'"
Thus, the practice of calling sweethearts 'valentines' was born, and the tradition has grown from that goodbye note to a massive level; the U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that one billion cards are sent every year for Valentine's Day, which is second worldwide behind only Christmas.
The feast day also has significance in Roman legend, as Feb. 15 was a Roman celebration that honored the pagan god Lupercus and involved a sort of arranged courtship procedure. Women would write love notes and place them in a large urn that men would randomly draw from. Whichever note was drawn would be the woman that the man would court.
When Christianity eventually became the official religion of Rome, the church combined the Feb. 15 Lupercus feast with St. Valentine's martyrdom on Feb. 14 and the holiday was born.
Lemus notes that Western Civilization did not pick up the holiday, officially, until the 1600s. "In Britain, Valentine's Day was celebrated sometime in the 17th century, as men and women sent each other little notes and gifts," she said, "In America, Valentine's Day was not really recognized until the 1840s."
Despite the fact that many anti-Valentine's Day advocates in recent years complain that the commercialization of the holiday has ruined its 'original purpose,' when America first recognized Valentine's Day as a holiday in the 1840s, the commercialization began right away.
The credit for the first Valentine's Day card goes to a Massachusetts resident named Esther Howland, who sold $5,000 worth of colorful cards in 1847. Other manufacturers soon copied her ideas, and very quickly the 'commercialized' Valentine's Day became the norm.
By 1861, Richard Cadbury had invented the Valentine's Day candy box, and within 40 years, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates were a mainstay of the holiday and could be found all across the country.
According to Lemus, today's Valentine's Day is much the same as it was then, with just subtle differences. "It is still a commercialized holiday." Lemus said. She explained that she has seen old advertisements from the 19th century that listed prices for valentines, some reaching as high as $250 each, no small sum in the 1800s.
Men and women were urged as well as they are now to spend their disposable income on treats and gifts for their significant others. |
