It’s almost here again……Valentine’s, or Saint Valentine’s, Day.
But where did it all start and why?
Here’s a little something I wrote that will hopefully be of interest to all you lovestruck romantics out there.
Valentine’s Day may well have it’s origins in an ancient Roman festival called the Lupercalia, which was held each year on the 15th of February.
The origins of this festival aren’t clear, though scholars believe it may, from the likely derivation of the name from the Latin lupus or “wolf”, have stemmed from a ritual to protect flocks and herds from wolves, or possibly in connection with the She-Wolf of Roman mythology who suckled Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
Saint Gelasius the First, born in Rome of African descent, was Pope from 492 to 496 CE.
One of his acts whilst Pope was to change the Roman pagan festival of Lupercalia to Candlemas (officially titled The Presentation Of The Lord) in the year 494, which is still celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church on February 2nd.
The 14th of February was chosen by Gelasius to honour Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that day in AD 269.
The first recorded evidence of Saint Valentine’s Day being associated with romantic love is from 1382 in a work by Geoffrey Chaucer entitled “Parliament Of Fowls”, based upon a ‘dream vision” of a parliament whereby birds would choose their mates, in honour of the engagement of two fifteen year olds : Richard II of England and Anne of Bohemia.
Both the Middle English in which Chaucer wrote and a modern English translation follow :
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make
Of euery kynde that men thinke may
And that so heuge a noyse gan they make
That erthe & eyr & tre & euery lake
So ful was that onethe was there space
For me to stonde, so ful was al the place
For this was on Saint Valentine's Day
When every bird comes there to choose his match
(Of every kind that men may think of!),
And that so huge a noise they began to make
That earth and air and tree and every lake
Was so full, that not easily was there space
For me to stand—so full was all the place
The earliest surviving valentine is from the 15th century composed by Charles, Duke of Orléans for his wife, here translated from the original French :
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine,
Since for me you were born too late,
And I for you was born too soon.
God forgives him who has estranged
Me from you for the whole year.
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine.
Well might I have suspected
That such a destiny,
Thus would have happened this day,
How much that Love would have commanded.
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine.
This was written by Charles whilst imprisoned in the Tower Of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt to send to his wife.
The very well known and well-used “Roses are red” verse may possibly be traced to Edmund Spenser’s ‘The Faerie Queene’ from 1590 :
She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew,
And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew.
A perhaps more recognisable version closer to the modern one can be found in a book of English Nursery Rhymes titled “Gammer Gurton’s Garland” from 1784 :
The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.
From the late 1790’s to the present day, printed cards have become more and more popular, and since the 19th century the tradition of hand written notes has been replaced by mass produced cards, though there has been a trend since the expansion of the internet towards “e-cards” and ready-made “memes” as more and more people now choose to communicate in this way rather than the “old snail mail”. Many have criticised this discarding of “the personal touch” in favour of the ease and lack of effort involved.
The custom of sending cards, flowers and chocolates to one’s romantic interest developed in early modern England has since spread around the globe and is now worth billions in terms of revenue for manufacturers of greetings cards, confectionary, floral gifts, jewellery……in fact just about anything that can be sold will be these days in terms of celebrating Valentine’s Day.
That’s all from me on the subject, other than to wish any and all who send or receive a “valentine” the hope that their wish come true.
[img]https://i.imgur.com/NickCnG.jpg?1[/img]
Sources :
Vatican Archive
British Library
WikiSource
Britannica
