Why was February 14 chosen for Valentine’s Day?

What is the origin of Valentine’s Day?

To understand the origins of Valentine’s Day, we first need to look at its history, which historians agree are the mashed versions of two separate historical events, one involving a Christian priest (Saint Valentine), and the other about the pagan festival of Lupercalia.

Lupercalia was a bloody, violent and sexually charged celebration filled with animal sacrifice, random matchmaking and coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility. This vile festival was celebrated annually on February 15, just one day after the modern day Valentine’s Day. It was originally known as Februa, which means “Purifications” or “Purgings,” which is the basis for the name of the month February.

It would begin by a bunch of Roman priests called Luperci gathering in a specific place, for example in the cave of Lupercal. These Luperci would then sacrifice a goat and a dog, obviously in the name of their own false deities. The sacrifice of the goat was supposed to symbolize fertility. The Luperci would then wildly run around town, whipping any and all women that they encountered. This was, again, meant as a symbol of fertility. It’s believed that these women would welcome this whipping in hopes of becoming fertile. However, there are historical accounts that this part of the ritual wouldn’t always be so consensual. The ‘romantic’ ritual would end with young men and women pairing up. In other words, this was a night of fornication.

The merging of this festival with the story of Saint Valentine, which many people nowadays think is the primary origin of this occasion, was most likely a move by the Catholic Church to make Christianity more appealing to pagans. Saint Valentine is a name which is given to two of the ancient “martyrs” of the Christian Church. It was said that there were two of them, or that there was only one. When the Romans embraced Christianity, they continued to celebrate their festival called the Feast of Love, but they changed it from the pagan concept of “spiritual love” to another concept known as the “martyrs of love”, represented by Saint Valentine who had advocated love and peace, for which cause he was martyred, according to their claims. It was also called the Feast of Lovers, and Saint Valentine was considered to be the patron saint of lovers.

One of their false beliefs connected with this festival was that the names of girls who had reached marriageable age would be written on small rolls of paper and placed in a dish on a table. Then the young men who wanted to get married would be called, and each of them would pick a piece of paper. He would put himself at the service of the girl whose name he had drawn for one year, so that they could find out about one another. Then they would get married, or they would repeat the same process again on the day of the festival in the following year. The Christian clergy reacted against this tradition, which they considered to have a corrupting influence on the morals of young men and women.

It was also said concerning the origins of this holiday that when the Romans became Christian, after Christianity had become widespread, the Roman emperor Claudius II decreed in the third century CE that soldiers should not get married, because marriage would distract them from the wars they used to fight. This decree was opposed by Saint Valentine, who started to perform marriages for the soldiers in secret. When the emperor found out about that, he threw him in jail and sentenced him to execution. In prison, he (Saint Valentine) fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, but this was a secret because according to Christian laws, priests and monks were forbidden to marry or fall in love. But he is still regarded highly by the Christians because of his steadfastness in adhering to Christianity when the emperor offered to pardon him if he forsook Christianity and worshipped the Roman gods; then he would be one of his closest confidantes and he would make him his son-in-law. But Valentine refused this offer and preferred Christianity, so he was executed on 14 February 270 CE, on the eve of February 15, the festival of Lupercalis. So this day was named for this saint.

Why don’t Muslims celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Someone may ask: why do Muslims not celebrate this festival? First of all, festivals are part of the religious ceremonies of which Allah says in the Quran:

... To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way ...

Quran - 5:48

(interpretation of the meaning)

Allah also says:

For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies which they must follow ...

Quran - 22:67

(interpretation of the meaning)

Because Valentine’s Day goes back to Roman times, not Islamic times, this means that it is something which belongs exclusively to Christianity, not to Islam, and the Muslims have no share and no part in it. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:

... Every nation has its festival ...

Sahih Muslim, 892

This means that every nation should be distinguished by its festivals. If the Christians have a festival and the Jews have a festival, which belongs exclusively to them, then no Muslim should join in with them, just as he does not share their religion or their direction of prayer.

Secondly, celebrating Valentine’s Day means resembling or imitating the pagan Romans. It is not allowed for Muslims to imitate non-Muslims in things that are not part of Islam. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:

Whoever imitates a people is one of them.

Sunan Abi Dawud, 4031

Thirdly, it is a mistake to confuse what they call the day with what the real intentions are behind it. The love referred to on this day is romantic love, taking mistresses and lovers, boyfriends and girlfriends. It is known to be a day of promiscuity and sex, with no restraints or restrictions. It is not about pure love between a man and his wife or a woman and her husband, or at least they do not distinguish between the legitimate love in the relationship between husband and wife, and the forbidden love of mistresses and lovers.

In Islam, a husband loves his wife throughout the year, and he expresses that love towards her with gifts, in verse and in prose, in letters and in other ways, throughout the years – not just on one day of the year. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:

I urge you to treat women well ...

Sahih Muslim, 1468

There is no religion which encourages its followers to love and care for one another more than Islam does. This applies at all times and in all circumstances. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said:

By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you will not enter Paradise until you truly believe, and you will not truly believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you of something that, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread (the greeting of) salaam amongst yourselves.

Sahih Muslim, 54

Who benefits from Valentine’s Day?

Valentine's Day has evolved into a highly commercialized holiday with numerous traditions and customs. People exchange cards featuring love poems, host celebratory parties, and give gifts to their loved ones. The commercial impact is significant - in Britain alone, flower sales have reached 22 million pounds. Chocolate consumption spikes dramatically, while rose prices can increase tenfold, from $1 to $10 per stem. Gift shops and card stores compete intensely with specialized Valentine's merchandise, and some families even decorate their homes with red roses for the occasion. The economic scale of Valentine's Day is massive - in 2020, Americans spent $27.4 billion on Valentine's gifts according to the National Retail Federation (NRT), the world's largest retail trade association. Ultimately, it's the manufacturers and retailers who benefit most from this commercialized celebration of love.