What the hell is Valentine’s day? A lot of (grumpy) people hate Valentine’s day because they thinks it’s a corporate money grab, they consider it a made up holiday, they hate candy—there are many reasons floating around to hate this day. But what even is this day? I wanted to find out once and for all, so here is a quick history lesson on Saint Valentine:

St. Valentine’s Day definitely didn’t start with Hallmark-origins, rather it began as a religious (surprise!) ceremony celebrating the Christian saint Valentinus (there may have also been more than one saint by that name because, just like when you were in elementary school and there were four Adams in your class, Valentinus was probably a really popular name at the time).  There are martyr theories floating around about this guy, too, and who can fault a martyr?

Assuming we’re all talking about the same Valentinus, the hyped up story of his life includes the following tales: 1. he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry; 2. he ministered to Christians who were persecuted by the Roman Empire; 3. while in prison he wrote a letter to the daughter of his jailer and signed it “Your Valentine”; 4. he was executed (the martyr thing) in the 3rd century CE.

Because of the whole lots-of-guys-named-Valentinus situation, there is some ambiguity surrounding his true identity—though most stories end the same way, being killed under Emperor Claudius II’s rule—eventually leading the Catholic church to discontinue religious observance of the day in 1969 (because confusion). So if you’re anti-liturgy, you’re totally free to get your Valentine-on.

So, Valentine risked (and lost) his life to help people marry – ROMANTIC! However, the holiday wasn’t seen as a romantic one until the middle ages. This change has actually been attributed to English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. In his 1375 work “Parliament of Foules,” Chaucer was the first to connect the idea of courtly love with the February 14th feast day (celebrated by Anglicans and Lutherans). He wrote “For this was on Seynt Volantyny’s day / Whan euery byrd comyth ther to chese his mate.” You can’t ask for higher romance than birds choosing mates. And ever since, humans have thought, if birds can get it on today, so can we.

When old Valentine wasn’t busy making love connections, he was the patron saint of beekeeping, epilepsy, the plague (presumably saving people from it), fainting, and travelling. If you’re not into romance but you are into saving the environment and the plight of the honey bee, go ahead and use this day as a jumping off point for your activism. While you’re at it, tack on an anti-plague message, too.

By the 18th century Valentine’s day starting taking the shape that we know today (lovers presenting each other with gifts of flowers, sweet treats, and cards known as “valentines”).

Your final fun-fact of the day is that Valentine’s Day can and is celebrated on many different days throughout the year. The St. Val that we’ve  been talking about was martyred on February 14, so this is his day, but since there are so many other saints named Valentine there are many other days from which to choose. So, if you’re still thoughtful-gifted out from Christmas, you can spread out the love. Other days you can choose from include June 12 (Brazil’s Dia de São Valentim), July 6 and July 30 (Eastern Orthodox),  July 25 (the anniversary of the death of the only female St. Valentina), November 3 (St. Valentine of Vertibo), or January 7 (St. Valentine of Raetia). But of course you can get your love-on any day of the year! 

Well, there you have it, a brief but thorough history of Valentine’s Day. Now go out and kiss somebody (preferably with their permission)!

Don’t forget to check out last year’s Valentine’s post for an oldies love-filled playlist!