Mia Groeninger '25
As soon as February rolls around, heart-shaped boxes filled with assortments of delectable chocolates, blushing bouquets of roses, adorable stuffed teddy bears, and candy hearts with phrases like “Be Mine” hit the shelves. Significant others rush to pick out the perfect gifts for one another. Children make Valentine’s cards for each member of their class, eagerly awaiting their paper bags full of treats and sweet notes. White doilies and heart stickers along with stamps and pieces of patterned paper scatter the tables. This is the quintessential picture of Valentine’s Day that we all know, but how did this romantic holiday come to be?
Valentine’s Day legends date all the way back to the third century. One story tells that Valentine was a priest who served under the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius decided that single men made better soldiers, and as a result, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine considered this to be unfair, so he began marrying young lovers in secret in open defiance of Claudius’ ruling. When Claudius heard of the betrayal, Valentine was immediately executed. Another legend tells that Valentine helped Christians to escape from brutal Roman prisons. While incarcerated, he fell in love with a woman and sent her the first “Valentine,” a letter expressing his love for her.
The legends are obscure; however, they all include the portrayal of a heroic and romantic figure that led Valentine to become one of the most popular Saints in England and France during the Middle Ages. Many claim that Valentine’s day was purposefully placed in the middle of February to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture. It was outlawed in the fifth century for being deemed “un-Christian.” Pope Gelasius soon declared February 14 as the official day of Saint Valentine. The romantic aspect of Valentine’s Day did not emerge until the 1400s. A widespread belief was that February 14 marked the beginning of the mating season for birds which furthered the idea that it should be a day of romance. The oldest Valentine on record was in 1415 when Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent it to his wife in the Tower of London. It is still in the British Library today.
Today we all know and love the chubby cherub, mythical matchmaker, Cupid. But who was cupid before he became the symbol of Valentine’s Day? Eros is the Greek god of love and was portrayed as a handsome child. Historians such as Catherine Connors believe that he is depicted like this “as a way of containing or limiting the power that love was thought to have over us.” When the Romans reinterpreted Greek myths, they renamed him “Cupid”, which comes from the word for “desire.” Eros apparently toyed with the emotions of Gods and men by using golden arrows to inspire love and leaden arrows to discourage love. Poetic and artistic depictions of Cupid and his mother, the goddess of love, prevailed, and the first Valentine’s cards with the little cherub were commercially printed in the mid-19th century.
Over time, materialism and commercialism have influenced the original meaning of the holiday. People are also expected to purchase gifts for their significant others, and companies are able to utilize this societal pressure to their advantage, contributing to the high total spending.
While over 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year and romantic gestures are made to spend time with loved ones, this holiday has become a significant component of the gross domestic product in the United States, as consumer spending drives 70% of the nation’s total output. According to the National Retail Federation, in 2021, 50% of adults planned to celebrate the holiday and spent $21.8 billion dollars. In 2022, the total spending was $23.9 billion dollars. Americans spent $6.2 billion on jewelry, $2.3 billion on flowers, and $2.2 billion on candy. These statistics beg the question of what has become of Valentine’s Day. A day that was once about heartfelt cards and romantic gestures in the spirit of Cupid has now become a top contributor to American consumerism.
Valentine’s Day poses a challenge for society in influencing American values. As Cate community members, we should consider how we can express love, appreciation, and gratefulness in unmaterialistic ways. Rather than capitalizing on love, we should focus our efforts on communicating emotion and recapturing the original Valentine’s Day spirit. A heartfelt, hand-written note or genuine expression of gratitude can mean more to someone than a box of chocolate or a shiny bauble. Which means more, Cupid or Cartier?
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