Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
THE FEAST DAY OF ST. Valentine
This feast is a Christian religious celebration of St. Valentine of Rome, a 3rd Century Christian martyr, who is now commonly associated with love and romance.
Who is St. Valentine?
Saint Valentine (Italian: San Valentino; Latin: Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his Saints’ Day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni, epilepsy and beekeepers. Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine’s Day) since at least the eighth century.
Relics of him were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome, which “remained an important pilgrim site throughout the Middle Ages until the relics of St. Valentine were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede during the pontificate of Nicholas IV“. His skull, crowned with flowers, is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics of him are in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church, Dublin, Ireland, a popular place of pilgrimage, especially on Saint Valentine’s Day, for those seeking love. At least two different Saint Valentines are mentioned in the early martyrologies. For Saint Valentine of Rome, along with Saint Valentine of Terni, “abstracts of the acts of the two saints were in nearly every church and monastery of Europe”, according to Professor Jack B. Oruch of the University of Kansas.
Saint Valentine is commemorated in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Churches on February 14. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, he is recognised on July 6; in addition, the Eastern Orthodox Church observes the feast of Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, on July 30. In 1969, the Catholic Church removed his name from the General Roman Calendar, leaving his liturgical celebration to local calendars, though use of the pre-1970 liturgical calendar is also authorised under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum of 2007. The Catholic Church continues to recognise him as a saint, listing him as such in the February 14 entry in the Roman Martyrology, and authorising liturgical veneration of him on February 14 in any place where that day is not devoted to some other obligatory celebration, in accordance with the rule that on such a day the Mass may be that of any saint listed in the Martyrology for that day.
How is the Feast Day of St. Valentine celebrated?
This is likely well known even to people who do not realize they are celebrating the Feast Day of a Christian saint. The celebration is marked by giving gifts of courtly love – whether that be giving cards, notes, chocolate, or flowers. However, as this is an ancient celebration, the tradition has varied through the years. From wiki:
While the European folk traditions connected with Saint Valentine and St. Valentine’s Day have become marginalized by modern customs connecting the day with romantic love, there are still some connections with the advent of spring.
While the custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts originated in the UK, Valentine’s Day still remains connected with various regional customs in England. In Norfolk, a character called ‘Jack’ Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person.
In Slovenia, Saint Valentine or Zdravko was one of the saints of spring, the saint of good health and the patron of beekeepers and pilgrims. A proverb says that “Saint Valentine brings the keys of roots”. Plants and flowers start to grow on this day. It has been celebrated as the day when the first work in the vineyards and in the fields commences. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Another proverb says “Valentin – prvi spomladin” (“Valentine – the first spring saint”), as in some places (especially White Carniola), Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring. Valentine’s Day has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. The day of love was traditionally March 12, the Saint Gregory‘s day, or February 22, Saint Vincent’s Day. The patron of love was Saint Anthony, whose day has been celebrated on June 13.
Drive Through History’s YouTube channel gives a good short history of the holiday, embedded below:
What do you eat for The Feast of St. Valentine?
There are usually a wide variety of answers to this question. However, on some years (most recently 2024) St. Valentine’s Day overlaps with the Christian Lenten season. When that happens, two often opposite sentiments are coming together. Valentine’s Day is often associated with chocolate or a lavish fine dining experience, while Christian Lent is marked by fasting and self-denial. I will not assume to give advice on working that juxtaposition out for you. Instead, what I will do is to suggest a traditional food for this feast day celebration and if you happen to find this post in a year when St. Valentine’s Day overlaps with Lent, then my hope is that maybe you will enjoy it another time.
Ricotta Honey Cakes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Ricotta
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
- 6 Bay Leaves
- 1/2 cup Honey, warmed
Preparation Instructions:
- Preheat an oven to 425°F.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add the flour.
- In a separate medium bowl, beat the ricotta cheese until creamy.
- Add the egg and the vanilla, beat until smooth, approximately 1 minute.
- Stir the ricotta mixture into the flour.
- Mix until just combined.
- On a floured surface, turnout the dough and knead until soft.
- Divide into six rounds.
- Place six bay leaves onto the sheet pan and top with dough rounds.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Heat the honey in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Place the cakes on a serving dish and evenly pour warmed honey over each.
- Let sit for approximately 30 minutes, to allow honey to be absorbed.
What is a prayer you could say in honor of the Feast Day of St. Valentine?
(via catholic.org)
Dear Lord, who art high in the Heavens,
Giver of Love and Passion,
And He who strings the heart’s cords,
Lead the Lovers this day, February ten plus four.
The day during the month of two,
When the date is the perfect number of God
Greater two souls and two hearts.
Some Loves are fleeting ,
But that which is built on you will never fail.
So guide the Lovers to know what is to be.
Your truths the Lovers’ mouths should speak,
For Your truth is that which is honest to the heart.
Only this, then, should pass over the red lips of the Lovers.
Your art, the Lovers simply a medium.
It is only with True Hearts that You can create a Masterpiece,
So let the Lovers remember that their Soul’s Desire
Is the one for which You light their Fire.
And let it be You who creates the Art of the Lovers;
The art of two into one.Amen.
When is the Feast Day of St. Valentine celebrated?
The Western Christian Church celebrates the Feast Day on February 14. Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate on July 6 and July 30. The reason that Eastern Orthodox believers celebrate on two different days is that July 6 is in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 is in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).
I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day!