Valentine’s Day and its History

The crocuses with the small flowers are already blooming, the snowdrops stand firm in the white winter splendor, and the crocuses with the large flowers are preparing for their breakthrough. It’s around this time that the day arrives when flower greetings are in high demand. Valentine's Day reminds everyone that at least one close person deserves a loving greeting. Bouquets with the lovely forget-me-nots, elegant lilies, or the unbeatable deep red roses as tokens of love change owners. Nowadays, it’s not just couples; best friends and friendly coworkers are also often remembered. The flower gift can be wonderfully colorful with daisies, sunflowers, carnations, and more. With such a harmonious tradition that many don’t want to miss, the question arises: where does it actually come from?

That the commemoration of the day is attributed to a Valentine is not surprising. But which one? There are actually two in the historical record: Bishop Valentine of Terni, who was canonized, and Priest Valentine of Rome. The legends mix the two biographies, where their good deeds do not contradict each other, but rather complement one another. Much suggests that historically, they were indeed the same person. Therefore, Saint Valentine is honored as a unified figure.

The cleric lived in the third century. He was a talented gardener and tended to his monastery garden like his own eye. He shared the colorful harvests with his contemporaries, especially couples. Whether in love, engaged, or married, anyone who peered over the walls of the magnificent garden was greeted with a beautiful floral greeting. Those he married are said to have all had happy marriages. He also didn't hesitate to help imperial soldiers into marriage with a church blessing. However, the reigning Emperor Claudius II was neither fond of the Christian religion nor supportive of marriage among his soldiers. He had Valentine executed, and this is said to have occurred on February 14. That was a major Roman holiday, dedicated to Juno, the goddess of marriage and birth. There is therefore speculation that Valentine's Day originated here, as the Romans would shower the goddess and young women with flowers on this day. Valentine himself is said to have written a love letter to the jailer's daughter before his beheading. This would then be the first Valentine’s greeting in history.

In any case, Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. The practice of venerating him as such gained more prominence in the Middle Ages. Various customs developed that were believed to help bring success to love and happiness. For example, young men believed that young women would marry the first person they saw on Valentine’s Day. As a result, many a lover became an early riser. The English began sending love letters but did not include a sender’s name. The French let the luck of the draw determine love and used this random method to pair couples, who then had a year to test whether they were a good match as Valentine and Valentine.

How easy we have it in our time! We can sleep in and give our love and friendship bouquets along with a card that includes our name. And we decide who to send the floral message to.