 The holiday of Valentine's Day probably derives its origins from
the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia. In the early days of Rome, fierce wolves
roamed the woods nearby. The Romans called upon one of their gods, Lupercus, to keep the
wolves away. A festival held in honor of Lupercus was celebrated February 15th. The
festival was celebrated as a spring festival. Their calendar was different at that time,
with February falling in early springtime.
One
of the customs of the young people was name-drawing. On
the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of
paper and placed into jars. Each young man drew a slip. The girl whose name was chosen was
to be his sweetheart for the year.
Legend
has it that the holiday became Valentine's Day after a priest named Valentine.
Valentine was a priest in Rome at the time Christianity was a new religion. The
Emperor at that time, Claudius II, ordered the Roman soldiers NOT to marry or become
engaged. Claudius believed that as married men, his soldiers would want to stay home with
their families rather than fight his wars. Valentine defied the Emperor's decree and
secretly married the young couples. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and put to
death.
Valentine
was beheaded on February 14th, the eve of the Roman holiday Lupercalia. After his death,
Valentine was named a saint. As Rome became more Christian, the priests moved the spring
holiday from the 15th of February to the 14th - Valentine's Day. Now the holiday honored
Saint Valentine instead of Lupercus.
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