Ah, Valentine’s Day. A holiday loved by some, dreaded by others. A whole lot of pink and red come to mind, as well as roses and chocolate.

 

Oh yes, and don’t forget the ritualistic playful flogging of young women with strips of goat leather to ensure fertility.

 

Wait, this doesn’t happen anymore? We must be in the wrong century.

 

“The celebration of Valentine’s Day is related to two events in Roman culture: lupercalia, a fertility festival that also involved the pairing off of young men and women, and the martyrdom of one of three possible saints,” history professor Candace Gregory said in an e-mail.

 

She said that a goat, which is a symbol of male fertility, which was sacrificed, and its hide was cut into strips and dipped in blood, is sometimes a symbol for female fertility.

 

The bloody strips were then used to slap women and crops.

 

“It was very sexual in nature,” Gregory said. “Lupercalia was celebrated until the late fifth century, when Pope Gelasius banned it as [being] too Pagan and too licentious.”

 

Another theory for the origin of Valentine’s Day might have to do with Saint Valentine.

 

“I know this much: he used to marry couples against the Roman law,” William Alterton, a junior English major said when asked if he knew anything about the history of Valentine’s Day.

 

“There is a legend of an early Christian martyr who was imprisoned for performing banned marriages,” Gregory said. She added that he would send messages to “his beloved while awaiting his execution.”

 

“However, there is absolutely no proof of that story,” Gregory said.

 

Early Christians would transform some Pagan holidays and festivals to keep them around but make them more Christianized she said.

 

“In other words, Lupercalia was too sexy for the early Christians, so they transformed it into a day celebrating unconsummated martyr love,” Gregory said.

 

As for an actual Saint Valentine, she explained that there are three possible Saint Valentines, one being unknown and possibly from North Africa.

 

“The other two were priests in Rome; all three were reputed to be martyrs, but no details of their martyrdom (or of their existence) has been confirmed,” Gregory said. She also said that the name Valentine was very common in the Roman world.

 

“Valentine’s Day is a celebration of mating, and love is a medieval concept,” Gregory said. “It was assumed by the 14th century that mid-February was mating season, and that the air was literally rife with love.”

 

Although the exact origins of Valentine’s Day are not known, it is obvious that people started celebrating it at some point in time, as we still celebrate the holiday today.

 

“It was widely celebrated in England and France by the 15th century,” Gregory said. “The first ‘valentine’ that we know of was sent in 1415 by the Duke of Orleans.”

 

Duke of Orleans had been in an English prison and wrote a poem to his wife while imprisoned said Gregory. She said that this may not have been the first “valentine,” and that there may have been earlier ones, but it set the ball in motion for Valentine’s Day.

 

“By 1650, it was very common to write a valentine greeting or poem for a loved one,” Gregory said. “Pre-made valentines appear in the 19th century.”

 

It is also known how people would commonly celebrate Valentine’s Day. Gregory said that people would exchange poems and small gifts, just like they do today, but she added that they exchanged them without the commercial pressure of today.

 

“It was traditional until the 19th century to send handmade gifts or greetings,” Gregory said. “The handmade quality was part of the gift.”

 

Emily Quackenbush, geography major, said she used to do the anti-Valentine’s Day thing in high school, including joining the goth kids and dressing in black. Her opinion may have changed a bit since then.

 

“It is good for people in relationships to celebrate their unity,” she said.

 

This year she will be spending the occasion with her girlfriend.

 

McKay said she doesn’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day, but has her own little way of acknowledging the day.

 

“I usually get my parents little gifts and I’ll hang out with friends,” she said.

 

Although Valentine’s Day has changed over the years, the meaning behind it is the same: to remind your loved ones and friends how much you care about them more so than on any other day.

 

Stephanie Samsel can be reached at [email protected]