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Did you know that the roots of Valentine’s Day can actually be traced back to the Roman Empire? Back in third century, the Romans held celebrations in honor of two Gods.

On February 14th they honored Juno, Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses, and the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, they held a great celebration called the Festival of Lupercalia in honor of the God Lubercus. Back in the early days of Rome, fierce and angry wolves roamed in the nearby woods where the shepards kept their flocks.

The Romans called upon the God Lubercus to protect their flocks of sheep from the dangerous wolves. This Festival of Lupercalia was to honor the great God Lubercus and to ensure that he would continue to protect their sheep during the following year.

It was tradition that on the eve of the Festival of Lubercus, the young girls would write their names on a slip of paper and place it into a jar. The young men would then pick a name out of the jar. The young men then became partners for the duration of the festival with the girl that they chose. They would celebrate together with dancing, playing, and feasting. These pairings would often last the entire year, and occasionally, lead to marriage. A bit later in Roman history, under the rule of Emperor Claudius the second, also known as Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many aggressive and bloody military campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was trying to increase the size of his army so he would be successful in these military attacks. However, the Roman men were reluctant to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that as married men, his soldiers would stay at home with their wives and families rather than fight his wars. For this reason, Claudius outlawed all engagements and marriages in Rome.

Saint Valentine was a priest in Rome during the rule of Claudius the Cruel. He was greatly admired and respected by many of the Romans. He did not agree with this policy and continued to secretly marry couples. Claudius was so enraged when he discovered that Valentine was disobeying him, that he had him imprisoned. Legend says that while Saint Valentine was imprisoned in 269 AD, he fell in love with his jailer’s blind daughter. He would write her love letters signed “From Your Valentine”. The jailer was not happy with Valentine’s love for his daughter and beheaded him on February 14, 269 AD.

In 496 AD Pope Gelasius outlawed the pagan Festival of Lupcalia, and replaced it with a celebration in honor of Saint Valentine. Gelasius had hoped that people would attempt to emulate the lives of saints on this new holiday. Instead they focused on the more romantic aspects of Valentine’s life. Today, we celebrate this holiday by giving cards, flowers, and gifts to the ones we love. Help continue this tradition! Give somebody a gift or tell a loved one how important they are to you!