Wild and Worth Celebrating: Valentine’s Day
Written by Meltem Cana Etiz
Thumbnail Photo by Jacob Rank on Unsplash
Header Photo by Mick De Paola on Unsplash
‘Tis the season of overpriced (followed by discounted) chocolate and romantic declarations. You may or may not celebrate this so-called “day of love.” You may be excited to spend the day with loved ones and to show shameless affection to your favourite people. Alternatively, you may be preparing to go about your business as usual with an added refusal to succumb to societal expectations. Either way, for the first couple of weeks in February, you simply cannot avoid the fervent Hallmark-style advertising followed by an ineffable tension that begs the question: Why is Valentine’s day such a big deal? The answer to it may lie in the dark and relatively graphic roots of our day of unrestrained romanticism.
According to popular history sources, St. Valentine’s Day received its name from two possible men named Valentine who were both executed on February 14th of differing years by Emperor Claudius II during the 3rd century. As they are viewed as interchangeable, it is difficult to ascertain their individual qualities and actions. One of them, Valentine of Terni, is suggested to be a holy priest at a time the Emperor outlawed marriage for young men based on the belief that single men made better soldiers. Believing that sexual activity should remain within the constraints of marriage, Valentine kept performing clandestine wedding ceremonies for young couples, directly disobeying the Emperor and thereafter being martyred to the cause of young love.
The 14th of February was dedicated to St. Valentine, though unspecified as to which, by Pope Gelasius I in the 5th century. It is rumoured that this dedication may have had an agenda beyond the remembrance of martyred men, as it would lead to the Christian appropriation and eventual replacement of an ancient Roman pagan festival called Lupercalia.
Lupercalia took place in pagan Rome before the rise of Christianity between the 13th and 15th of February. Although sources vary in detail, the festival was one of fertility, nudity, wine, and spiritual purification through bloodshed. Considered the unlucky month of the Julian calendar year and thereby shortened by Caesar himself, the month of February actually received its name from the Latin word Februa meaning “to cleanse”.
The ritual practice, Lupercalia, took place in the Lupercal cave on the Palatine hill in Rome to honour Lupa, the mythical she-wolf who fed and protected Romulus and Remus who would go on to found Rome. Lupercus who was a Roman god of fertility and protection was also included in the sacred ceremony. The honouring required animal sacrifices as well as the dedication of oneself to the act of purification through the ritual rites.
The festivities that followed the ritual were allegedly just as intense. Wine was consumed in large quantities by all. Women would strip naked and volunteer to be whipped with the goatskin believing it would increase their fertility. Men would join the Luperci in a nude run around the Palatine hill. There are also rumours of a potentially sexual matchmaking lottery taking place. Sexuality and purification were seemingly celebrated as one in this spiritually sanctioned celebration of hedonistic behaviour.
Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash
Today, we (typically) no longer strip and whip in the name of the Gods. Most of us don’t get married in order to have sex in memoriam of two dead men either. Instead, we have taken to Instagram posts, expensive dinners, and public displays of affection underneath red paper hearts. Our need to connect and conform and be in love at the same time as everyone else shines through. Though precious and of most child-like innocence, this desire for love makes us vulnerable to exploitation by the corporate giants and their marketing campaigns. We are sometimes made to feel that we need the right dress, new make-up, the biggest bouquet, the most exclusive restaurant in town, the perfect gift for the worthiest person or it’s all ruined and we might as well never try to love again.
The point of learning about the history of Valentine’s day is to understand that traditions change in name, practice, and meaning. It isn’t right or wrong to celebrate a holiday because it is the norm, however, if we’re not intentional about the meanings and practices we assign to holidays (many of which have been rebranded through history to fit the zeitgeist anyway), we become targets for people and companies looking to feed off of the most personal feelings and insecurities for their profit and pleasure.
Whether you adore Valentine’s Day or wish it would go away, I hope you live with the knowledge that love isn’t defined by publicity or materialism, nor can it be justly celebrated in 24 short hours. But hey, what’s the harm in trying?
Happy V-Day and a Blessed Lupercalia,
From your not-so-secret Valentine