This year, the Valentine’s Day holiday falls on the same day as Ash Wednesday. That means we will begin the season of Lent with calls to repentance of spiritual discipline on the same day we celebrate romance and love.
Not much is known about the real history of the Saint Valentines on whom the holiday is based, the legend of Saint Valentine has several versions. One legend tells that Saint Valentine was a Roman priest who performed weddings for soldiers forbidden to marry because the Roman emperor decreed that married soldiers did not make good warriors and, thus, young men could not marry. This Saint Valentine wore a ring with a Cupid on it—a symbol of love—that helped soldiers recognize him. And, in a precursor to greeting cards, he handed out paper hearts to remind Christians of their love for God.
Because of this legend, Saint Valentine became known as the patron saint of love. While the Saint Valentine story set the groundwork for establishing the day as a holiday for romantic love, what truly solidified the connection between Saint Valentine and love was a poem by medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer in 1375, which historians consider the origin of the “modern” celebration of Valentine’s Day, where we celebrate our romantic partnership with one other person.
Over the years, there are lots of practices that have come to be attached to this day. Valentine’s Day cards, chocolates, roses, romantic dinners, and candy hearts are common. It’s not a national holiday or a religious holy day, but a day to show your love and appreciation to those special people in your life, whoever they may be. So, here’s to love in all its various forms on Valentine’s Day.
Pastor Steve