@kavikv.d.hexenholtz3474

2 years ago

The main objection by conservative Christians against the celebration of Valentine’s Day is its alleged origins in the Roman Lupercalia. Specifically, that Lupercalia was Christianized by Pope Gelasius I into Valentine’s Day. The ancient festival’s association with fertility rituals has only added to that idea. A closer examination however revels that any relationship between the two seems to reside solely in the realm of wishful thinking. The earliest historical record of Lupercalia is from the 3rd century BCE, while the last record is from the end of the 5th century CE — around the same time Pope Gelasius I made February 14 into a day that would honor the Christian martyr Saint Valentine (Lupercalia, by the way, took place on the 15th). At no point however does Gelasius speak of compromise or of adapting any pagan customs. In the early church, this would have been a solemn celebration; not the holiday it is today. Indeed, it is quite possible that Gelasius was partly responsible for Lupercalia’s decline. One presumed aspect of the festival is the idea that there would have been a matchmaking lottery associated with Lupercalia, a supposition that is often cited as further evidence of the connection between the ancient festival and Valentine’s Day. But there are no historical records attesting to men being paired randomly with women for participation in the ritual. Indeed, popular legends that Lupercalia featured girls writing their names on paper that would be drawn from a box by boys seem to be an 18th-century invention/addition to the assumed practices of this festival. Even though they weren’t far apart chronologically, the supposed symbolic overlap between the two took centuries more to develop, as Valentine’s Day hadn’t yet acquired the romantic meaning it has today. Valentine’s Day, as a celebration of love and fertility, dates from the 14th century CE leaving a huge gap between the two. Some pagan holidays/celebrations were co-opted by the Church, but this doesn’t appear to have been one of those cases. Though there is calendar overlap (sort of), there’s no indication that one was replaced by another. It is vitally important when writing about traditions to remember that there are only 365 days in the year ... overlap does not equate to significance. Most mainstream historians assert that Valentine’s Day and romance became associated with each other only in the late 14th century, and specifically because of the popularity of a few Geoffrey Chaucer (of 'Canterbury Tales' fame) poems called "Parliament of Foules" and “The Complaint of Mars” which both associated Valentine’s Day and romance. At the time of Chaucer's writing, mid-February was also considered to be the start of Spring in Britain, because it was the beginning of birds' mating season—perfectly appropriate for a celebration of affection. In addition, this was also the time when a concept known as “courtly love” was in its heyday. Not celebrating Valentine’s Day because of its alleged association with Lupercalia (i.e., that it has a supposed pagan origin) does not appear to hold much validity, yet some people just can’t seem to let go of this false connection.

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