The bestselling author of Canterbury Tales published a poem called “The Parliament of Fowls.” He wrote, “Seynt Valentynes day” is the day birds chose their mates. Valentine’s Day as the day of lovers likely owes its existence to Geoffrey Chaucer, the English writer and poet. Pope Gelasius I, however, was very critical of Lupercalia, so it is unlikely that he was using it to base his version of the Feast of St. Unlike the romantic nature of Valentine’s Day, Lupercalia was a festival filled with violence and ritual sacrifice to please Lupercus, the Roman God of Fertility. It is sometimes thought that the Feast of Valentine was a nod to Lupercalia, a Roman pagan festival celebrated on February 15 in Rome. Before being beheaded, he wrote a love letter to her, signing it “Your’s Valentine.” Lupercalia: The Ancient Roman Festival Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter while in prison. Some historians, however, claim that no such ban on marriages ever took place.Īnother popular but unproved story is that St. The most popular story is that he was secretly marrying Roman soldiers. Valentine took on new myths making February 14 the day for lovers. In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I designated February 14 as the feast day of St. Both Valentines lost their heads for converting Romans to Christianity and performing miracles.ĭue to the similarities in their stories, some scholars believe that the two Saint Valentines were actually a single person. It is thought that at least two Valentines: Saint Valentine of Rome and Saint Valentine of Terni, were executed on February 14 by Roman Emperor Claudius II. It’s commonly accepted that the holiday is named after a Saint Valentine.
Valentine’s Day can be found in ancient Christianity. Valentine’s Day is not a legal public holiday anywhere in the world. Business Date to Date (exclude holidays).