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Monthly Spotlight: Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day

Image of the Catholic depiction of Saint Valentine

Origins of Saint Valentine

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.-History

A heart dancing back and forth next to the quote

Now-A-Days

Valentine’s Day is a holiday when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It is also called St. Valentine’s Day. The holiday has expanded to express affection between relatives and friends.

The day is popular in the United States as well as in Britain, Canada, and Australia, and it is also celebrated in other countries, including Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea. In the Philippines, it is the most common wedding anniversary, and mass weddings of hundreds of couples are not uncommon on that date. The holiday has expanded to expressions of affection among relatives and friends. Many schoolchildren exchange valentines with one another on this day. -Britannica

Clip from Parks and Rec,

Single?

Single on Valentine's Day? Why not spend the day loving yourself! 

Here are a few ideas for you to celebrate yourself:

  • Go to a movie
    • And maybe splurge on some popcorn and candy
  • Host a singles-only dinner party
    • Think of it as a Galentine's Day Part 2
  • Get yourself a beauty treatment
    • Spa day, nails done, hair cut, look good for you!
  • Cook dinner for the 'Rents
    • Spend (or Crash) your parents Valentines by cooking a lovely dinner for them
  • Eat at your favorite restaurant 
    • No forced conversations AND you get your favorite food? Sign me up!
  • Plan a date with your best friend
    • Get dressed up, go to a fancy restaurant, and order off the special Valentine's Day menu
  • Offer to babysit
    • Celebrate with the kiddos and possibly get paid to do it!
  • Do what you want!
    • Do whatever makes YOU happy (so long as it's not illegal)

Woodstock from Peanuts smacking Snoopy in the nose with a heart balloon

How to celebrate!

One of the more well-known ways to spend Valentine's Day is to be with your significant other. But what else do you do together? Check out these options:

  • Have breakfast in bed
  • Plan an activity you both want to do
    • Sky-Diving
    • Road Trip
    • Go Hiking
    • Have a picnic
  • Date night in
    • Have a movie night
    • Binge-watch a series you've both been wanting to see
    • cook or bake something together
    • have a game night (probably not Overcooked though)
  • Date night out
    • Make a reservation at a restaurant
    • Sign up for a class together
      • Painting
      • Cooking
  • Plan a gift or surprise
    • Make a homemade gift
    • get a card
    • gift some flowers
    • If you're long-distance, a surprise visit
    • Hide positive notes all over for them to find

A heart beating and fireworks exploding

Origins of Valentine's Day

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

Tome the cat from Tom and Jerry falling in love while staring at a picture

Who is Cupid?

Cupid is often portrayed on Valentine’s Day cards as a naked cherub launching arrows of love at unsuspecting lovers. But the Roman God Cupid has its roots in Greek mythology as the Greek god of love, Eros. Accounts of his birth vary; some say he is the son of Nyx and Erebus; others, of Aphrodite and Ares; still others suggest he is the son of Iris and Zephyrus or even Aphrodite and Zeus (who would have been both his father and grandfather).

According to the Greek Archaic poets, Eros was a handsome immortal who played with the emotions of Gods and men, using golden arrows to incite love and leaden ones to sow aversion. It wasn’t until the Hellenistic period that he began to be portrayed as the mischievous, chubby child he’d become on Valentine’s Day cards.