By Maria Papagiannopoulou,
Every year on February 14, Valentine’s Day, also known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed. Through later folk traditions, it evolved from its origins as a Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs by the name of Saint Valentine to become a prominent cultural, religious, and commercial festival of romance and love in many parts of the world.
Valentine’s Day is associated with a number of martyrdom tales, including one about Saint Valentine of Rome, who was imprisoned for helping Christians who were being persecuted by the Roman Empire in the third century. Early legend has it that Saint Valentine healed the blind daughter of his jailer. Many later additions to the legend have improved its connection to the theme of love. For example, an 18th–century addition to the legend asserts that he wrote the jailer’s daughter a letter addressed to “Your Valentine” as a parting gift before his execution. Another tradition holds that Saint Valentine officiated at weddings for Christian soldiers who were prohibited from getting married.
Valentine’s Day was observed on February 14 according to the Gelasian Sacramentary, which dates to the eighth century. It appears that by association with the “lovebirds” of early spring, the day came to be connected with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when ideas of courtly love blossomed. It evolved into a time when couples would send greeting cards, flowers, and other forms of sweets as a way to show their love for one another in 18th–century England (known as “valentines”). Doves, the winged Cupid, and the outline of a heart are still utilised as Valentine’s Day symbols today. Handwritten Valentines have been replaced by mass-produced greeting cards since the 19th century.
In Italy, Saint Valentine’s Keys are presented to youngsters to ward off epilepsy (known as Saint Valentine’s Malady) as well as to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart.”
Although Saint Valentine’s Day is a recognised feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church, it is not a national holiday in any nation. On July 6 in honour of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine and on July 30 in honour of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna, several areas of the Eastern Orthodox Church also observe Saint Valentine’s Day (modern Terni).
The celebrations in every country around the world may be different. To be more specific, In the UK, just under half of the population spends money on Valentine’s Day, with around £ 1.3 billion spent on cards, flowers, chocolates, and other gifts each year, with an estimated 25 million cards sent.
In Wales, some people celebrate Did Santes Dwynwen (St. Dwynwen’s Day) on 25 January instead of (or in addition to) Valentine’s Day. It is a day to commemorate Saint Dwynwen, the patron saint of love in Wales. The Welsh name for Saint Valentine is Sant Ffolant.
In a 2016 Channel 4 Valentine’s Day poll, the phrase “My heart will always be yours” from Jane Austen’s novel Sensation and Sensibility was compared to Edward Ferrers (Hugh Grant) in the critically acclaimed “The 1995 by Elinor Dashwood (Emma Thompson)”. The film adaptation has been voted the most romantic line in literature, film, and television by thousands of women.
Valentine’s Day or Ημέρα του Αγίου Βαλεντίνου in Greek tradition was not associated with romantic love. The Eastern Orthodox Church has another saint who protects lovers, Hyacinth of Caesarea (July 3rd), but this was not widely known until his late 1990s. In Greece today, Valentine’s Day is usually celebrated according to normal Western traditions.
In Portugal, this holiday is known as “Dia dos Namorados” (Lovers’ Da /Lover’s Day). As elsewhere, couples exchange gifts but in some areas, women usually give lenço de namorados (“lover’s handkerchiefs”) embroidered with love motifs.
In Korea, women give chocolates to men on February 14th, and men give women sweets other than chocolate on March 14th (White Day). On April 14th (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on February 14th or March 14th go to a Chinese restaurant and eat black noodles (jajangmyeon) to mourn “living alone”. Koreans also celebrate Pepero Day on November 11th, when young couples give each other Pepero cookies. The date “11/11” means that it resembles the rectangular shape of a cookie. The 14th of every month is Love Day in Korea but most of it is ambiguous. From January to December: Candle Day, Valentine’s Day, White Day, Black Day, Rose Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Green Day, Music Day, Wine Day, Movie Day and Hug Day. Korean women give more chocolate than Japanese women.
About 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year in the continental United States, not including the hundreds of millions exchanged by schoolchildren.
Valentine’s Day is a major source of economic activity, with total spending in 2017 surpassing $18.2 billion or over $136 per capita. This is up from his $108 per person in 2010. According to a 2019 National Retail Federation survey, the percentage of people who celebrate Valentine’s Day has steadily declined over the past decade. Based on our research, there are three main reasons:
Uninterested in over–commercializing and celebrating the holidays of being without loved ones.
Indonesia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have banned the celebration of Valentine’s Day on the grounds that Valentine’s Day is against Islamic culture.
Since 2009, Iran has banned certain Valentine’s Day–related practices, such as giving flowers, cards, or other gifts in honour of Valentine’s Day. Iranian law enforcement officials are prosecuting sellers of goods containing symbols related to Valentine’s Day. In 2021, Iran’s Qom public prosecutor’s office said it would prosecute anyone who spreads or offers anti–cultural symbols such as Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is not endorsed or endorsed by any institution in Iran and has no official status but is highly accepted by a large portion of the population. One of the reasons Valentine’s Day has become more popular with the public since the 2000s is that sexual relationship has changed and is no longer strictly confined to marriage.
References
- Valentine’s Day. daysoftheyear.com. Available here
- The history of Valentine’s Day, and why we celebrate it. realsimple.com. Available here
