Valentine’s Day

Why do we celebrate love on February 14th? Why do we rush out and buy chocolate and presents? What if we don’t have anyone to give to or don’t get anything ourselves?

Et glad par som gir valentines gave til hverandre
Et glad par som gir valentines gave til hverandre

The day of love

February 14 is Valentine’s Day. In Sweden, they say Alla hjärtans dag (the day of all hearts). In Norway, some call it Kjærlighetens dag   (the day of love). But we use the English name the most and it is in English-speaking countries it is most celebrated. In Norway, Valentine’s Day started by being mentioned in a newspaper at the end of the 19th century. From the late 1900s, it became a tradition. Why do we celebrate? To find the answer, we need to go to Rome in Italy.

En mor og datter som lager valentinsdags gaver
En mor og datter som lager valentinsdags gaver

In honour of Juno

The celebration of February 14th started with the so-called Juno festival in the Roman Empire. Juno was a powerful goddess and the queen of heaven. She was married to Jupiter, the most powerful god. Juno was seen as the protector of wedding and marriage.

Lupercalia was a festival that was held in Rome in mid-February. The city was cleansed of evil spirits, and health and fertility were highlighted. Pope Gelasius wanted Christian traditions, so in 496 AD, he introduced a special day for Saint Valentine.

 

En statue av en kvinne i Roma
En statue av en kvinne i Roma

St. Valentine

So who was this Valentine? It probably goes back to around 270 AD. One priest and one bishop were declared saints and celebrated on February 14th for their good deeds.

A Catholic saint is someone who the Catholic Church sees as holy. It can be when they are alive or after their death. A holy person is a link between the people and God. To be a saint, you have to have done miracles. The word saint means holy and is placed before the person’s name. In Norway, we have St Olav (Olav the Holy).

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En skygge fra en religiøs leder
En skygge fra en religiøs leder

Doctor, priest or sorcerer?

Could the priest and the bishop be the same person? No one knows. There is also a story of Valentinus being a doctor who lived around 268 AD. Legend has it that Valentinus helped and healed lots of people. He was so good that the ruler of the empire found out about him. But he didn’t like that Valentinus was a Christian.

Valentinus kept his faith and was marked as a wizard. He was taken to a judge. The judge had a blind daughter, and Valentinus is said to have made her see again. Thanks to this, many became Christian, but Valentinus was thrown in prison and later killed.

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Bilde av hender med kjetting og i hendene holder han er kors
Bilde av hender med kjetting og i hendene holder han er kors

A couple of hearts

Another story is about the Emperor Claudius. He made all unmarried men join the army. They were not allowed to marry during their time in the army. The priest Valentinus didn’t like this and married people anyway. When they found out about this, Valentinus was trapped in a dungeon.

The story goes that Valentinus fell in love with the jailer’s blind daughter. They were not allowed to be together. Before Valentinus died on February 14th, he wrote a farewell letter to the woman he loved. The letter was signed ‘from your Valentine’.

Rosa bilde med en valentinesdagskort nede i høye hjørne med pynt
Rosa bilde med en valentinesdagskort nede i høye hjørne med pynt

A good mix

We don’t really know who Valentinus was. Perhaps it is a mixture of many stories or perhaps something else.

En skygge fra en religiøs leder
En skygge fra en religiøs leder

Red loneliness

One in three Norwegians says that they celebrate Valentine’s Day. Some people celebrate with a friend or a partner. Some see it as a good day to propose marriage. Half of the Norwegians do not celebrate, and there are many reasons for that.

Is it the economy that wants this? Isn’t the tradition really Catholic? And doesn’t this split people into those who have a partner and those who don’t? Everyone can do something nice for someone else, like write a card or buy chocolate. But the day also has some negative sides.

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What is happiness? What is love?

Can it be difficult to be single because of Valentine’s day? Having a partner is seen as the right way to live. But statistics show that more and more people live alone. Does this mean that these people are unsuccessful? Does this mean that everyone who lives alone is also lonely? Does this mean that they don’t have love in their lives?

Living on your own can give you more freedom, and who can really decide what happiness is? The Bible says that you should love your neighbour as you love yourself. If we do not love ourselves, it can be difficult to love anyone else. Can’t you just buy your own chocolate?

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En dame sitter alene og koser seg med valentines sjokolade
En dame sitter alene og koser seg med valentines sjokolade

Valentine’s Day in different countries

The traditions around Valentine’s Day are different from country to country.  Here is a list of romantic traditions that take place around the world on February 14th.

The United States

Americans spend a lot of money on Valentine’s day, about $18 billion each year. Cards are the most common gift, but sweets, jewellery and flowers are also popular gifts. America’s most popular Valentine’s sweets are Love Hearts with messages such as ‘be mine’ and ‘kiss me’.

Fun fact: Every year, so many Love Hearts are produced that every person in the world could eat one!

Peru

In Peru, many people give orchids – the country’s national flower. Many people get married on this day.

Great Britain

It is a big day in Great Britain, but not as big as in the USA. People give each other gifts and it is common for couples to go out and eat dinner.n.

Finland

In Finland, the day is more about friendship rather than about romantic relationships. If you are single, Finland is the place to be on this day. Pink roses are popular.

South Korea and Japan

In these countries, it is the men who get spoiled. On Valentine’s Day, women buy chocolates for their partners, family members and colleagues because they are grateful. The men return the favour on March 15th, which is known as ‘white day’.

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En hjerteformet åpen konfekteske og røde roser liggende på et trebord.
En hjerteformet åpen konfekteske og røde roser liggende på et trebord.

Sources:

  • Skjoldli, Jane: helgen i Store norske leksikon på snl.no.
    Hentet 11. januar 2022 fra https://snl.no/helgen

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