Greg GiesenDelaware News Journal
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When Valentine's Day is discussed people immediately think of romance.
You have Cupid shooting his arrow as love blossoms. You have people popping the question at a romantic location. You have couples sharing flowers, chocolates and cards – lots of cards – on a day geared toward romantic love.
Valentine's Day, though, wasn't always like that. In fact, romance had very little to do with the holiday.
What's the dark truth about Valentine's Day?
The holiday's origins, according to npr.com, date back to ancient Rome where the feast of Lupercalia was celebrated from Feb. 13 to 15. Lupercalia honored Lupa the she-wolf who nursed and sheltered Romulus and Remus and was aimed to please the Roman fertility god Lupercus, according to History.com.
During the festival, Roman men would sacrifice a goat and a dog. The men would then run around naked or nearly naked, hitting women with the hide of the freshly killed animals. Women would line up to be hit, believing it would make them fertile. The women's names were then placed in a jar and the men would draw a name to see who they would be paired with for the remainder of the festival.
When did Valentine's Day become about love and stuff?
According to History.com, Pope Gelasius I, to expel pagan rituals, combined the festival with St. Valentine's Day in the fifth century. The holiday seemed to mature from the revelry of ancient Rome to a day of romantic love over time. Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare wrote about love and Valentine's Day and during the middle ages people exchanged Valentine's Day cards, according to npr.com.
It was around 1913 when Valentine's Day literally became a Hallmark holiday. The card maker started to mass produce valentines and from that point the romance and commercialism went into overdrive. Today, you have everyone getting in on the Valentine's Day act with items like Valentine's Day cake pops at Starbucks, Love Bug doughnuts at Dunkin', heart-shaped doughnuts at Krispy Kreme, special Little Debbie cakes or a Blizzard Cupid Cake at Dairy Queen.
In modern times people celebrate the day by buying their sweethearts presents and flowers and taking them out to dinner, basically showering them with affection.
Who was St. Valentine?
There have beenmultiple St. Valentines, so it is unclear whoisthe true namesakefor the holiday.
One Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defiedEmperor Claudius II after the ruler outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine would perform marriages in secret for young lovers, ultimately leading to his death.
Another Valentine, St. Valentine of Terni,was a bishop who wasbeheaded by Emperor Claudius. Many believeheis the namesake behind the holiday, according to the History Channel.
There are many other legends of "St. Valentine," including one of animprisoned saint sending thefirst "Valentine" greeting after falling in lovewith a young girl who often visited him. Before his death, the saint allegedly wrote her a letter signed: "From your Valentine."
While the true story of Valentine's Day remains a mystery, most portray the saint as a heroic, kind, and romantic person.
Olivia Munson contributed to this story.
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