The making of a Valentine’s Day: Thanks, Geoffrey Chaucer

This is the season of 'Love.'

Lovebirds in the US alone spent nearly $26 billion last year, which was about $24 billion in 2021, according to Forbes. Thousands of couples shower their sweethearts with candies, jewelries, cards, tokens, and flowers to celebrate Valentine's Day globally. 

In Bangladesh, Valentine's Day was introduced by journalist Shafik Rehman as "Bhalobasha Dibosh" in 1993. I know you have heard of St Valentine, but you have to ride in my Chevrolet to discover the whole journey of who he was and how Geoffrey Chaucer romanticised Valentine's Day. 

This year Valentine's Day is on Wednesday, next year, it will fall on Friday. To know why the day falls on February 14, we have to go back to the pagan calendar called Lupercalia which was replaced by Valentine's Day.
 

Some historians believe that in the early 5th century, Christianity took over Roman paganism. At the end of the century, Pope Gelasius announced 14th February as Valentine's Day. Since then, Valentine's Day always falls on February 14. 

Lupercalia was an ancient Roman celebration of fertility. According to legends, Luperci or the Roman priests would gather in a cave to sacrifice a goat for fertility, and a dog for purification. The naked young men, then stripped the goat's hide, dipped them into the pool of blood, and slapped the women around them. The women welcomed the hide touch. Later in the day, the women would place their names in big urns, from where men would choose each one to be paired with. 

The Pagans celebrated Lupercalia on February 15. The early Christians wanted to have a coincidence with the existing festivals, so they replaced Lupercalia with Valentine's Day and declared the celebration on February 14. 

However, many other historians believe that Valentine's Day originated from the legends of Saint Valentine. But who was the very Valentine and what were the legends? 

Today the Catholic churches recognise that there were at least three saints named 'Valentine.' The first of the three legends about the saints states that the saint was a priest in the third century C.E. when Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage. Saint Valentine went against the decree,calling it an 'injustice.' Defying it, he secretly began to marry young couples. The Emperor came to know about this and put Valentine to death. 

The second legend suggests that Saint Valentine refused to accept paganism. Instead, he went on preaching Christianity. The Emperor also had him beheaded.   

However, the third legend appears to be more relied on by many historians, whom they credited for the namesake – Valentine's Day. According to them, he was the Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop. He was jailed for freeing the Christians who wanted to escape from paganism and Emperor Claudius II. While in jail, Valentine miraculously healed the blindness of the tailor's daughter. Saint Valentine also fell in love with the girl. As soon as  it was revealed to the Emperor, he ordered his execution. Before his death, Valentine wrote a letter to the girl, which was signed "From Your Valentine," which we still use in Valentine's Day cards and gifts.  

Irrespective of whether the origin of Valentine's day is credited to the legends of Valentine's or the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia, the very day  existed, and it was more religious than romantic, but today, Valentine's Day is more romantic than religious. We actually do not know how and when Valentine's Day started to be romanticised, but some accounts credit the mediaeval English poet Geoffrey Chaucer for it.          

In the middle ages, people in England and France commonly believed that the middle of February was the birds' mating season, which led them to think that February 14 should be a day of romantic celebration of Valentine's Day.  

Geoffrey Chaucer first recorded the romantic celebration of Valentine's Day in his 14^th century dream version poem 'The Parliament of the Fowls.' The 700-lined rhyme royal dream poem centres the assembly of the birds to choose their mates in mid February. It says, 

"For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day 

Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate." 

Geoffrey Chaucer was not alone to record Valentine's Day. During the Elizabethan age, William Shakespeare also mentioned the romance of Valentine's Day in his famous tragedy, Hamlet. Ophelia spoke in Act 4, Scene 5 – "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day." 

Another early record of Valentine's Day is also found in Charles, Duke of Orleans, who wrote a poem to his wife mentioning 'Valentine's Day' in 1415. 

However, our most romantic symbol "Cupid" arrow of Valentine's Day is dated back to the Greek and then to Roman mythology. One of the most loved filled amorous surroundings of Valentine's Day is the symbol of the cherub Cupid. Cupid is the son of the Roman goddess Venus, the goddess of love, who wanted her little boy to shoot arrows from his golden bow to make people fall in love. This is why we often have Cupid love arrows placed in our Valentine's Day cards or candy. 

Although Valentine's Day is celebrated almost internationally, the day is still not widely celebrated. In many countries, Valentine's Day contradicts their religious beliefs, whereas in some other countries, the day is considered an  intrusion of foreign culture and the painful memory of colonisation. 

No matter whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, we all love treating those we  love. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rezaul Karim Reza an English language teacher with an interest in literature and history based in Rangpur. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.