By Kate Harveston | Posted: February 11, 2020
What does Valentine's Day mean to you? For many, it's a day to celebrate relationships and buy flowers and chocolates. But where did the holiday originate, and what inspired it? How can you honor it the way the ancients did in today's modern world? Learn about the history of this fascinating celebration and get inspired to create personalized festivities that are sure to help you feel the love.
What are the origins of Valentine’s Day?
People didn't celebrate Valentine's Day as an homage to romance until the 14th century, so our current traditions are relatively modern. The holiday stems from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a spring festival that centered around fertility rites and the coming of spring. Still today, modern holiday cards often depict Cupid, the Roman god of love. Ancient Romans were very openminded regarding matters of sex. Part of their fertility rituals included a lottery to pair up eligible men and women.
Many myths surround the origin of the name Valentine. Of course, Saint Valentine is well-known as the originator of the holiday. But another legend points to a priest who formed a friendship with his jailer's daughter. When writing her letters, he signed them, "from your Valentine." Another tale tells of a priest who married couples to spare women's husbands from war.
Ways to honour Valentine’s Day
Assuming you don't want to draw the name of a potential mate-for-a-day out of a hat, how can you honor the fertility rites surrounding this ancient celebration? Here are a few ideas to get you started. Feel free to get creative and modify these to suit your unique personality.
1. Take a nature walk
Since the original festival honored spring and rebirth, why not get out in nature? Chances are, you have cabin fever by this point in the winter, at least if you live in a northern climate. Bundle up in your warmest if it's chilly, and go out seeking signs of spring. Even if you're strolling solo, your heart will soar when you spot a green bud emerging on a wintry branch.
2. Appreciate fertility
Have you had children? If so, you likely know what a miracle they are. However, take a moment to appreciate the fertile body that got you there. Approximately 10% of women in the U.S. struggle to conceive, and infertility, whether explained or unexplained, can be an extremely difficult thing for a hopeful parent to discover. If you’re struggling with infertility, take a moment to appreciate all the other ways in which your body provides for you. Your worth is not tied to your ability to bear children.
3. Read to your child
If you already have a little one or three, why not celebrate by learning more about the history of Valentine's Day together? Take a trip to your local library and perform online research. Alternately, pick out a book that symbolizes the spirit of the season and read it at bedtime.
4. Help clean up a local park
Fertility means more babies, and little tykes need a safe place to play when warm spring weather arrives. Why not honor the holiday by participating in a community cleanup of a local playground? If you don't have a decent facility in your neighborhood, take the initiative. Start a petition or organize a community meeting to raise interest. You'll need to locate a plot and start fundraising. Once you set the gears in motion, volunteers can handle much of the labor.
5. Work in your garden
There are few better ways to welcome spring than to muck around in your garden. Granted, it might be too cold to take a trip to the nursery for new plants. However, you can rake flower and vegetable beds and add compost and mulch to prep the soil. You can start growing seedlings indoors, so if you saved and dried yours from the produce you buy, invest in some potting soil. You can repurpose conventional household containers like old ice cube trays as planters for seedlings.
6. Spend time with animals
The circle of life doesn't only apply to two-legged animals. If you have beloved pets, show them some extra TLC to honor this holiday. Get them their favorite treats or take them on an additional outing to the park for fetch. Your furry friends can deliver a dose of oxytocin to your bloodstream the same way human affection can.
7. Spread some love
Finally, no one ever said you can't combine elements of our modern celebration with the ancient ritual. If you have a significant other, plan to spend some time together. Are you flying solo? Why not consider volunteering to get your dose of feel-good hormones like oxytocin and dopamine? If nothing else, you can help a partnered friend by offering to babysit for the evening.
Celebrate the real meaning of Valentine’s Day
You can celebrate the ancient meaning of the modern Valentine's Day in dozens of ways. Inspire your celebration today!
Kate Harveston writes about wellness and mental health. If you enjoy her work, you can visit her women’s health blog, So Well, So Woman. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
