VALS DAY: Lupercalia & Understanding Valentine’s Day – Origins and Notable Stories

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Understanding Valentine’s Day: Origins and Notable Stories

Valentine’s Day, celebrated every February 14, is a day associated with love, romance, and the exchange of gifts. But beyond the modern traditions of chocolates, flowers, and candlelit dinners lies a rich and somewhat mysterious history. This article explores the origins of Valentine’s Day and some fascinating stories linked to this cherished occasion.

The Origins of Valentine’s Day

The roots of Valentine’s Day can be traced back to ancient Rome. The most widely accepted theory links the celebration to St. Valentine, a Roman priest who lived during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century AD. Claudius, believing that unmarried men made better soldiers, outlawed marriages for young men. St. Valentine defied this decree and continued to perform secret marriages for couples. When his actions were discovered, he was imprisoned and later executed on February 14, around 269 AD.

Another theory suggests that Valentine’s Day was an adaptation of the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia, a fertility festival held in mid-February. During Lupercalia, priests would sacrifice animals and use their hides to bless women and crops, believing it would ensure fertility and prosperity. As Christianity spread, Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s feast day in 496 AD, cementing February 14 as a day of love.

Notable Stories About Valentine’s Day

1. The Romantic Letter of St. Valentine

One legend claims that before St. Valentine was executed, he befriended and healed the blind daughter of his jailer, Asterius. On the night before his execution, he allegedly wrote her a farewell note signed “From Your Valentine,” a phrase still widely used today in love notes and greeting cards.

2. The Marriage of Richard II and Anne of Bohemia

The first recorded mention of Valentine’s Day as a romantic occasion appears in Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem Parlement of Foules (1382), written to celebrate the engagement of England’s King Richard II and Anne of Bohemia. Chaucer wrote that birds choose their mates on Valentine’s Day, further reinforcing the idea of love and romance tied to the date.

3. The Tragic Love Story of Charles, Duke of Orleans

In 1415, Charles, Duke of Orleans, was captured during the Battle of Agincourt and imprisoned in the Tower of London. During his captivity, he wrote love letters and poems to his wife, some of which still exist today and are considered among the earliest recorded Valentine messages.

The Evolution of Valentine’s Day

By the 17th and 18th centuries, Valentine’s Day had gained popularity across Europe, with people exchanging handwritten notes and tokens of affection. By the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution brought mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards, making the tradition more widespread. Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated globally, with various customs ranging from romantic dinners to grand proposals.

While Valentine’s Day has evolved significantly from its origins, its essence remains unchanged—a celebration of love and affection. Whether rooted in history, mythology, or commercialism, the day continues to inspire acts of love across the world. Understanding its origins adds a deeper appreciation for the traditions we observe today, reminding us that love, in all its forms, has stood the test of time.

Understanding Valentines Day

Why you can’t be my Valentine:

February 14th was called “Lupercalla”

Or “day of the wolf”

This was a day that was sacred to the sexual frenzy of the goddess Juno.

This day also honoured the Roman gods, Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary twin brothers, who supposedly founded Rome, REMUS AND ROMULUS

Lupercous= hunter of wolves

The Romans called the festival the “lupercalia.”The custom of exchanging valentines and all the other traditions in honour of Lupercus who was also linked with an ancient pagan practice of teen-agers “going steady” it usually led to fornication.

The day of Lupercalia

On this day, the Luperci or priests of Lupercus dressed in goat skins for a bloody ceremony. The wolf god would sacrifice goats and a dog and then smear themselves with blood; he would run around a hill while waving a goat skin called “februa.” from where we get the name February. Women would sit around the hill, as the priest would strike them with a goat skin to make them fertile.

Love notes

All the young women in the city would gather in the city and their names were put in the boxes. These “love notes” were called billets. The men of Rome would draw a billet, and the woman whose name was on the billet became his sexual lust partner with whom he would fornicate until the next Lupercalia or February 14th.

The colour red

The colour red as sacred to that day because of the blood from the goat and dog and the heart shape was not after the human heart but represents the human matrix or opening to the chamber of sacred copulation.

St Valentine’s Day

Saint valentine’s was an obscure, possibly legendary, martyr who by tradition was put to death by the Romans on February 14th,about AD 269.this day was made a feast day by the Roman Catholic Church. The day of his death coincided with that of the Roman feast of the Lupercalia….the celebration of the two merged.

So Valentine’s Day is nothing but a continuation of the Lupercalia.

On this day millions of young people are loosing their virginity because of this day. For many, it’s ok to have sexual intercourse just because it is Valentine.

Make the right choice and stay away from this wickedness. For many it is a day to make business. All the shops will during this week be clad in RED. Stay away from this frenzy

CONCLUSION: (Acts 17:30)

The bible says; “My people perish for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6) KJV

Let’ read 1Corinthians 6:15-20

You can choose to take heed to what I have shared with you or to ignore it. The choice is yours.