A Tale of Love, Legends and Traditions
Edited by Anna Popper
Many believe that Valentine’s Day, celebrated annually on 14 February, is an American invention. In reality, this celebration has a history of over 1,755 years and has deep roots in ancient Rome. But who was Valentine? How did February get its name? And why do we exchange love letters and flowers on this day? Let’s unravel the mystery.
Ancient Rome: The Festival of Love and Fate
Long before Valentine’s Day became a romantic holiday, the Lupercalia Festival was celebrated in mid-February in ancient Rome. Dedicated to Faunus, the god of the wild, and Luperca, his she-wolf consort, this festival was a time of feasting, rituals and matchmaking.
Young Romans participated in a “love lottery”, randomly drawing names to pair up for the festivities – sometimes for just a day, sometimes for much longer. The rituals also involved young women running around the Palatine Hill, where priests playfully struck them with goat-skin whips known as februa, used for purification or cleansing. This ritual, believed to bring fertility and good fortune, is the origin of the name “February”.
The Legend of St. Valentine
But Lupercalia wasn’t just a festival of passion – it was also the setting for one of history’s most enduring love stories.
One of the most popular accounts suggests that in 270 AD, a Christian bishop named Valentine from Terni, a town in the Lazio region, was executed on the orders of Emperor Claudius II.
Bishop Valentine’s crime: defying the emperor’s decree by secretly performing Christian weddings during the harsh persecution of Christians. The emperor had banned marriage for soldiers, believing that single men made better warriors. But Valentine believed in love and continued to unite couples in matrimony, giving them flowers from his garden. Tradition held that these marriages were blessed. The most touching story involves two young lovers, Sabinus and Serapia, whose relationship was hindered by their parents because they belonged to different faiths, Christianity and paganism. They turned to the Bishop for help and he secretly married them, reminiscent of the story of Romeo and Juliet.
While Valentine was in prison awaiting execution, legend has it that he developed a close bond with his jailer’s blind daughter. Some versions claim he miraculously restored her sight, while others say she simply fell in love with him. Either way, before his death, he sent her a letter signed “From your Valentine” – a phrase that has echoed through history.
Another version of the story tells of Valentine crying out to the crowd before his execution: “Never forget Valentine!” and “I love you all!” Whether fact or myth, the message of love and devotion remains timeless.
In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I officially declared 14 February as St. Valentine’s Day, transforming an ancient Roman festival into a Christian feast day dedicated to love.
Birth of a Tradition: Cards, Letters, Flowers and Sweets
The custom of gifting flowers on Valentine’s Day began in 1667, when the wife of English writer Samuel Pepys responded to his love letter with a bouquet. Inspired by this romantic gesture, the English nobility quickly embraced the tradition of exchanging flowers and love notes on 14 February.
By the 1700s, Valentine’s Day poetry books became fashionable, and by the 19th century, beautifully designed greeting cards had taken over. Today, exchanging cards, flowers and love messages is a cherished tradition worldwide.
La Festa di San Valentino – La Festa degli Innamorati – Traditions in Italy, the Land of Love
Saint Valentine, known in Italy as San Valentino, is celebrated as the patron saint of lovers. His feast day, 14 February, has become synonymous with romance and affection around the world.
The origins of Saint Valentine’s story are deeply rooted in history and legend, making him an enduring symbol of love.
In Italy, La Festa degli Innamorati is celebrated with special traditions. Italians believe that San Valentino was the Bishop of Terni, where the beautiful Basilica di San Valentino houses the martyr’s tomb beneath the main altar.
Each year, on the Sunday before 14 February, engaged couples attend a special mass and exchange vows in front of the altar, continuing a long-standing tradition that honours the saint’s connection to love and marriage. Valentine’s Day is also the most popular day for couples to get engaged in Italy.
In Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, there are other special traditions. A giant red heart is painted in the middle of the historic Piazza dei Signori, and illuminated heart-shaped lanterns are hung in the city centre. Verona hosts free concerts, a contest for the most beautiful letter written to Juliet, and various romantic activities that attract couples from all over. This enchanting celebration solidifies Verona’s reputation as one of the most romantic destinations in the world.
In the past, an intriguing tradition or superstition in Italy for single women on Valentine’s Day was to get up before sunrise and glance through a window. It was believed that the first man an unmarried woman saw would be the one she married within the year, or at least someone very similar to him.
Perugina, the famous Italian chocolate confectionary brand founded in 1907 by the woman clothing designer Louisa Spagnoli, produces a special edition of “Baci” chocolates – the Italian word for kisses – for Valentine’s Day. These chocolates, wrapped in red foil instead of the traditional blue, contain romantic poetic quotes under the wrapper and feature a sweet cherry filling instead of the traditional hazelnut.
A modern Valentine’s Day tradition has emerged in Italy: the “locks of love”. Couples attach padlocks, or lucchetti dell’amore, to bridges and lampposts and then throw away the key to symbolize their desire to stay together forever. However, Italian authorities have repeatedly tried to stop this custom, fearing that the romantic locks, along with the added weight, will compromise the historical integrity and beauty of the country’s ancient bridges.
Saint Valentine’s legacy endures not only in Italy but across the world, inspiring countless expressions of love, emotion and devotion. From ancient Rome to the present day, Valentine’s Day has always been a celebration of love. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Source: The Italian Cultural Foundation – casa-belvedere.org
Photos from casa-belvedere.org gettingtoknowitaly.com italian-traditions.com
Opening photo from Club Magellano Venezia
