Why do we celebrate Saint Valentine's day?

Saint Valentine's Day embraces a time of year that is historically associated with love and fertility. Although how this yearly event of showing one's love and affection through gifts and romantic dinners is not so straight forward. The reasons behind the day's creation, as well as St. Valentine himself have been shrouded in doubt and mystery. It has been a source of controversial debate for hundreds of years.

February 14th, 496 AD.

That was the first official Valentine's Day, declared by Pope Galasius in memory of a 3rd century martyred priest in Rome.

One of the first points of controversial debate is that it is not known for certain whether Pope Galasius was honoring this 3rd century priest or one of two other martyred priests which had been associated previously with the 14th of February. One was a bishop of Iteramna (modern day Terni) and the other apparently suffered along with companions in Africa.

Little more is known about these two Saint Valentines and it is the priest from Rome which has become the most widely accepted as the St Valentine we refer to on this day.

Let's go back to around 270 AD. Roman emperor Claudius threatened to outlaw marriages for young couples as he believed that married men made poor soldiers. Bishop Valentine however believed that marriage was part of God's plan and so continued to conduct marriages between young people in secret, in the name of love. Valentine soon gained a reputation as a friend of lovers and sweethearts in every district of Rome.

These actions gained him unwelcome notoriety unfortunately and as you can imagine this betrayal did not go down well with emperor Claudius. He was jailed and scheduled to be beheaded and this is where the story gets interesting.

In jail it is said that he fell in love with the jailer's daughter. It is also said that on the day of his execution, February 14, Bishop Valentine passed her a note from his cell which read:

"From your Valentine".

This story is widely regarded as the defining moment and tradition of Valentine's Day.

Since the Middle Ages, people have been sending Valentines gifts to their loved ones. Gifts such as elegant poems accompanied by music, precious metals, works of art and of course flowers and handmade gifts. These gifts would often be accompanied by images of mating birds or cupid (eros) ready to shoot his arrow.

In those days, the Valentine gift was usually a serious declaration of love. Often it was a formal invitation of marriage. In some cases it was a light hearted exchange between two sweet hearts.

One of the more famous early Valentine stories has to do with Charles, Duke of Orleans when in 1416 AD he sent one of the first Valentines while imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt. He sent several Valentine poems to his wife in France.

However, it was the 17th century which could be considered the most important and truly romantic era for St Valentine's Day. During this time the 14th of February became important as a day to exchange love notes by sending gifts and poems. On occasion dances and small festivals were also held to mark the occasion.