Chełmno has been celebrating Saint Valentine’s Day for the past 24 years. Each year the celebrations bring lots of visitors to our medieval town. The streets of Chełmno are filled with positive energy and crowds of young people. This year was no different; to the contrary, it was busier than ever! Perhaps because Valentine’s Day fell on Friday this year and we had the whole weekend ahead of us. For three days our town changed into the “City of Love”.
The program was filled with concerts, thematic workshops, poetry, and street performances. The town square was bustling with small merchants and artisans selling handmade souvenirs and regional food.
My favourite moment was on Friday at noon when the people of Chełmno gathered together to form a big heart in the middle of the town square. This is the Valentine’s tradition in our town and it’s done every year. It symbolises the human togetherness and love for the town’s community. We can celebrate love in many different ways showing our affections to people we love, but also appreciate our long time friendships, sense of belonging and being accepted by others in the community.
The cult of Saint Valentine
The cult of Saint Valentine in Chełmno began in the early XVII century, however, at that time St Valentine wasn’t recognised yet as the patron saint of lovers; instead, he was known as the patron saint for people with epilepsy.
There is a true story about Jadwiga Działyńska, a rich woman from a well known family, whose young daughter suffered from epilepsy. By chance, when she was praying at the parish church in our town, she learned from a priest, that the church is in possession of St Valentine’s relics. The priest explained further why the woman’s prayers should be addressed to St Valentine. With time, Jadwiga’s prayers were answered. To show her gratitude for the healing of her daughter, she ordered a custom-made silver reliquary designed to store the precious relics of Saint Valentine. The reliquary was gifted to the priest, as a token of her appreciation. Engraved on this reliquary are words of gratitude, dated 1630.
Today we can see this unique, hand-crafted silver reliquary in our parish church. It is housed in one of the side altars dedicated to St Valentine, in a niche behind bullet proof glass. On February 14th the altar is always beautifully decorated with red roses symbolising love. From the local tourist guides waiting by the altar, we can learn about the life and tragic death of St Valentine.
St Valentine was a bishop
Now, let’s step back in time to third century Rome, when St Valentine was a bishop in a small town south of Rome (Terni in Umbria). At that time he was already healing people and was able to cure epilepsy. Bishop Valentine was also secretly marrying young couples against the Emperor’s new law, which ultimately led to his brutal execution. Claudius II, known as Gothicus (267-270 AD), needed a strong army to fight back the invasion of Goths. The emperor believed that young men wouldn’t be good fighters, sacrificing their lives, if they were married; that’s why he forbade the sacrament of marriage for men between the ages of 20-30. Bishop Valentine was thrown to jail for breaking the Emperor’s law, he was tortured and beheaded in Rome on February 14, 270 AD.
More than 200 years later in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius recognised and declared Bishop Valentine a saint and the day of his death, February 14th, as Saint Valentine’s Day in the Christian calendar.
As we learned from this story, St Valentine’s Day has its bloody origins.
A day for lovers all over the world
It was only in the Middle Ages that St Valentine’s Day began to be celebrated as a day for lovers. It started with the famous English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer and his poem from 1382, titled “The Parliament of Fowls” (The Parliament of Birds). It was the first Valentine’s Day poem ever written. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed that February 14th was the beginning of birds’ mating season. People also believed that if a woman saw a robin on Valentine’s Day, she would soon marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she will marry an orphan and be very happy, and if she saw a goldfinch, it meant that she will marry a millionaire!
With passing time, Valentine’s Day became a date for exchanging love notes, poems, and simple gifts such as flowers.
On the other side of the Atlantic in the USA, the first commercially printed Valentine’s card is dated to 1840. Since then the celebration of love has evolved in many unique ways in different countries around the globe. For example in Germany people like to give little marzipan pigs holding flowers or four-leaf clovers as symbols of good luck in love.
In Japan on the other hand, women give chocolates to men, not the other way around. A month later though on March 14, men can return the favour by giving the girls presents.
It’s good to mention that in Poland for many years before we started to celebrate Valentine’s Day, on March 8th there was a big celebration for International Women’s Day. On this day, women still receive flowers and chocolates from men at their work places and at home. Hope this tradition will never fade.
The French of course insist that Valentine’s Day originated in France. They say the first Valentine note was sent by the French Duke of Orleans, Charles. The story goes that he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and sent love letters to his beloved wife.
There also used to be a Valentine’s French tradition called “love lottery”, in which singles were paired up with partners. If the men didn’t like their match they would leave and the girls would burn the men’s photographs in a bonfire. Thank God it’s no longer practiced! The French government put a stop to the love lottery.
Italians love giving each other chocolates. The most popular Valentine’s Day gift is chocolate-covered hazelnuts wrapped in paper with a romantic quote. These are called “Baci Perugina” (“Chocolate Kisses” created in Perugia in 1922).
In most recent years, Valentine’s Day has become commercialised, especially in the USA. Valentines cards are available at stores right after Christmas; people plan their Valentine’s weekend ahead of time. On February 14th, florists sell bouquets of red roses from early morning till late at night. Restaurants and cafes buzz with couples on romantic dates. Heart shaped chocolates wrapped in cute boxes are commonly given to friends, co-workers, and family members. Store windows are decorated with red hearts and cupids. Love is visible from each corner and you can see people embracing each other with big loving hugs. What a great way to break the winter blues and be happy for at least a day!
Our tradition
Let’s not forget the celebrations of Valentine’s Day in Chełmno and its traditions. Forming the BIG HEART in the middle of the market square is a unique way to show the strength of the community and everyone is welcome to participate in this spontaneous performance, the more people the merrier!
Hopefully Chełmno’s Valentine’s traditions won’t fade, however, if we as a community want to be recognised as the “City of Love” much work still needs to be done! We need more cultural hubs where everyone can enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine along with live entertainment and a unique, welcoming atmosphere. The town’s decorations need much more improvement as well!
What do you think about celebrating Valentine’s Day in general?
What was your favourite activity during the last Valentine’s Day in Chełmno?
Thank you for reading the article and please feel free to share your comments!
Johanna von Grass