Deep dive on Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day? Galentine’s Day? Well, the first is an old saint’s feast day, and the second is a recent addition based on it, right? Wrong. The answer is both more colorful and more interesting!

The holiday Valentine’s Day, or St. Valentine’s Day is indeed the feast day for a priest by that name, executed on February 14, 370 CE, by Emperor Claudius II. Not very romantic. Or completely accurate. Oddly, Claudius executed TWO people named Valentine on that day. Both were later canonized.

What about all the hugging and kissing, and romance? Half a century before that fateful execution of TWO Valentines, in the 3rd century BCE is the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia; a 3-day celebration of fertility and prosperity lasting from February 13-15, involving animal sacrifice, purification, a “coupling lottery”, whipping, and general debauchery. In the 5th century, pope Gelasius I combined Lupercalia, with St. Valentine’s feast day, hoping to lose its pagan overtones.

Meanwhile in 5th century France, the Norman’s celebrated… Galatin’s Day, also in February. Galatin means “lover of women”.  Finally. Some romance.

You can see how, over time. the 2 holidays could have gotten muddled.

Add the popularity of giving hand made Valentine’s Day cards, starting in the Middle Ages, the date’s further elevation by Shakespeare and Chaucer, plus the Victorian floriography fad, and you get a holiday to celebrate the ones you love. Whether Valentine’s or Galatin/Galentine’s day is on your calendar, it is a good time to give your loved ones a card, or a token of affection. Don’t ask me where the tradition of giving chocolates came in. I don’t know. But I am glad it did.