February is widely recognised as a month dedicated to Valentine’s day. The day that is gloried/hyped as the day of love but the history behind it is much darker than red roses. So, while making plans to celebrate, consider the dark history and global traditions behind the so called ‘day of love’.
Cupid, the winged baby of love that we think of, was known to the Greeks as Eros, the god of love. He wasn’t as adorable.
There are conflicting accounts of Cupid’s lineage. Some describe him as the son of Nyx and Erebus or Aphrodite and Ares — or even Aphrodite and Zeus, who would have been both his father and grandfather.
In Greek mythology, Cupid played with emotions and was irresistible to both man and gods. But later on, Cupid would be depicted as a playful, mischievous child — the one we picture today.
There are many other bloodier and darker stories associated with this day.
According to NPR, initially, mid-February was when the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia was held, where men sacrificed a goat and a dog and reportedly whipped women with the hides of the dead animals in the hopes of increasing the women’s fertility.
By the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I had seen enough — he replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day.
According to Britannica though, Valentine’s Day may have gotten its name from the execution of a priest named Valentine by Roman Emperor Claudius II on February 14 during the third century.
According to other accounts, however, the holiday is named after St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, that was martyred in 269 C.E. for marrying Christian couples.
The custom of sending Valentine cards on that date reached its zenith in the Victorian age, but sometimes, people opening that pink or red envelope got a nasty shock.
Instead of good wishes, they were likely to find an exaggerated caricature of themselves, and a nasty verse to go with it. The sender? Anonymous.
The anti-valentines first appeared around the 1840s, and were soon circulating widely in both Britain and America. They were commercially printed, and the recipient had to pay the penny postage themselves on delivery.
Officially, the cards were supposed to be a joke, but the sentiments inside were often so mean and damaging that some sensitive souls tortured themselves wondering who the sender could be, or even, in a few cases, committed suicide over it.
Not only this but a few notable bloody Valentine’s Days include:
- The Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929.
- The unsolved murder of young lovers Jesse McBane and Patricia Mann, which occurred on Valentine’s Day 1971.
- The unsolved murder of teens Nicholas Kunselman and Stephanie Hart (who were dating) on Valentine’ Day 2000.
- The murder by Oscar Pistorius of Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’ Day 2013.
- The murder-suicide of an elderly couple in Alabama on Valentine’ Day 2015.
So, this year when you’re admiring beautiful red roses, remember the popularity of the color red during Valentine’s Day might actually be rooted in the bloody sacrifices all those centuries ago.