Today is St. Valentine’s Day. It is not a national holiday. U. S. Mail service continues. Banks and businesses are open. Flags fly at full staff. Most of the world will live through the day as usual. (Oh, if you forgot to get candy, flowers or another favorite treat for your sweetie—there is still time to do so). I learned early on how important red roses were to Paige; I got red roses to her classroom every St. Valentine’s day—but one. That was when I learned how important RED roses were to her.

Exchanging Valentines at elementary school was a big deal when I was a kid. My dad put a lot of time and effort on valentine cards for us. He always saw to it that we had enough for every one of our classmates on Valentine’s Day. Also, I do not remember any meanness among my classmates at school—we simply had a fun day giving and receiving Valentines.

I was much older when I learned background of St. Valentine’s Day. St. Valentine was martyred circa the 3rd Century, but the romantic aura was not connected to the Day for about ten more Centuries. The connections between St. Valentine and romantic love are more like a net than a cord; there are many. It is thought the Courtly love themes around the Era of the Enlightenment initiated the idea.

There is something of a connection to love that reaches back to the third century. A persistent legend is that St. Valentine offended the Pope by ignoring the ban on his marrying young couples. He was arrested and martyred on February 14, hence the date established as St. Valentine’s day. Although the legends about St. Valentine vary in time, place, and detail, most of them carry a central thread; He lived, he married young couples, he defied the Pope, he was martyred. That is enough to give us this enduring celebration.

There are some branches of Christianity where St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated as a significant religious day—a Feast Day. For ghe Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church the day is an official Feast Day. Also, in the Eastern Orthodox Church St. Valentines Day is also a Feast Day.

A “feast day” is a day in the Christian liturgical calendar dedicated to celebrating the life of a particular saint or significant event in the Church’s history, essentially a day of remembrance and celebration within the faith, where the word “feast” signifies a time of joy and commemoration rather than a large meal; (AI assisted).

©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2025