Rodrigo Díaz Guerrero
Valentine’s Day has just passed, and across much of the globe, those celebrating love and affection have engaged in familiar rituals: heart-shaped balloons, boxes of chocolate, romantic dinners, flowers, and the countless other clichés the market has established. These often accompany the greeting cards that have been commercially successful since the early 19th century, particularly in Victorian times. Before stationery companies seized this opportunity, people—in cities like Paris, London, and later New York—created their own love letters. These were crafted from delicate papers, often incorporating silk and satin, adorned with lace and ribbons, and, of course, filled with sentimental poetry—a labor of love in itself. However, the origins of this “day for love” stretch back much further.
In ancient Rome, February 15th marked the festival of Lupercalia, honoring Luperca, the mythological she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus, Rome’s founders. During these celebrations, prominent young men were chosen to become Luperci, a special kind of priest. On February 14th, the Luperci gathered in a grotto later known as the Ruminal Cave—traditionally held as the site of Rome’s founding. There, a goat was sacrificed as part of the ceremony. The participants’ foreheads were marked with its blood, and thongs were made from its hide. These thongs were used—as the Luperci, often nude, ran through the streets—to strike the hands and backs of women who willingly participated in this ritual, believing it would ensure their fertility. Lupercalia was thus a fertility rite and an act of purification (known as Februatus), remaining popular even into Christian times. Finally, in 498 AD, Pope Gelasius I banned the pagan celebration and replaced it with Saint Valentine’s Day. The story of this saint is multifaceted, but the most common version tells of a physician who became a priest and secretly married soldiers, defying Emperor Claudius II. Upon discovering this, the emperor ordered his execution. While imprisoned, Valentine is said to have fallen in love with the blind daughter of the prison warden. He prayed for her sight to return, and it was miraculously restored. On his way to his execution, he gave her a folded note. When she opened it, she could see for the first time as she read “Your Valentine”, his farewell. In gratitude, she planted a rosebush on his grave, which, according to legend, bloomed every February 14th.
