A Valentine's Day Fable

This morning I heard a Cardinal singing as I took seed out for the birds. This brought to mind a story I was once told about the origins of Valentine's Day, and the day's connection with the red bird Cardinalis caradinalis.

But, first, a little history. While Saint Valentine's Day appears to have been recognized by the Catholic church dating back to the early days of Christianity, with no fewer than three Saints named Valentine linked to the date of February 14th. While the greeting card industry has attempted to link at least one of the Saints to something of a tragic-romantic story that would establish him as the source of this day of eternal love, there is no basis in fact for these claims.

Historians tend to connect the celebration to a Roman pagan holiday of fertility that occurred in mid-February. But, it wasn't until 1382 that Geoffrey Chaucer became first person to link the feast of Saint Valentine's Day with romantic love, when he penned these lines (adapted from the old English):

For this was on Saint Valentine's Day

When every bird come there to choose his mate

A few years ago, a local man told me the story that he had always been told of Valentine's Day, and while I cannot find any support for it on the Internet, it does make sense when I put Chaucer together with the Cardinal's song.

The story is that February 14th was the typical day that male cardinals were heard singing to establish their territories and attract a mate for the season. The bright red of the bird and the cardinal's quest for a mate were translated by some romantic soul into the image of a red heart which stays with us to this day.

Each year since I first heard that story, I have noticed a male cardinal's song in mid-February. I wonder if Chaucer was inspired by that same song some 700+ years ago?