Ever wondered about Valentine's Day…

 …well, it's origins may not be quite what you think.  Read on…

Valentine's Day comes around every year, the shops are full of red flowers, hearts, depictions of Cupid etc., but have you ever wondered where all this started?  No?  Oh well, I guess you will stop reading at this point.  But for those of you that are still with me, I've done a bit of research, and I was quite surprised by what I found out about today and its history.

The first thing that surprised me was that a St Valentine did exist.  Born in 226 in Terni in Italy, he became a Christian priest - or a bishop depending on which ancient text you read - who administered to persecuted Christians.  Third century Italy being the beating heart of the Roman Empire at the time.  On a visit to Rome, Valentine was captured, tortured and executed.  His remains were hastily and roughly buried.  On what was then the equivalent of our February 14th, his followers recovered his body.  They reburied St Valentine in the Christian Cemetery on the Via Flaminia just north of Rome in 269.  From the 5th century (496 to be precise), February 14th has been recognised as the Feast day of St Valentine.

The name Valentine comes from the Roman family name of Valentinus which in turn is derived from the Latin word valens, meaning 'strong' or 'healthy'.  So there are no love connections there!  From here on, things get a bit confused.

Geoffrey Chaucer's (1340-1400) poem Parlement of Foules may have created a connection with Valentine's Day as we know it.  His poem tells of the narrator's dream about birds gathering to choose their loved one - generally believed to be in mid-February in medieval England - and ends with a song to welcome Spring.  As there is some doubt about the date/year the poem was written, we can not be sure that it was February 14th that Chaucer had in mind.  However, the poem's text does refer to 'seynt Volantynys' day, and the link with lovers is quite clear in the text.

Chaucer's lead in love poems was followed by many - Duc d'Orléans writing from the Tower of London to his wife in 1415, for example.  We have Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene from 1590 where it is thought the original version of our 'Roses are red, violets are blue…' may have originated.  Then there's Shakespeare and a speech he gave to Ophelia in the play, Hamlet.  John Donne also got in on the act when he created a poem to celebrate James I's daughter's marriage on February 14th, 1613.

We now move forward to the 18th century and the various writings of some eminent antiquarians who pin our interpretation of Valentine's day quite firmly on dear old Chaucer.  In addition, there were several collections of old romantic verses published at this time.  Here in the 21st century, we know these earlier antiquarians to have been a little wide of the mark.

The Victorians took St Valentine and his romantic connections to another level.  With the creation of the penny post in 1840, it became possible for anonymous cards to be sent.  The 19th century witnessed the designing and printing of love missives in thousands every year.  If you would like to see some, there is a fabulous collection from across the centuries at the Museum of London.  In the 19th century, St. Valentine's Day finally became the industry that we recognise and perpetuate today.

So, there you have it!  Enjoy your day...