Valentine's Day is originally a Catholic holiday to celebrate St. Valentine who was martyred in Roman Days. Like most religious traditions, it is being usurped by a secular world. Of course, like most Christian religious traditions, it has pagan origins.
The symbol of the heart is a bit more mysterious. Aristotle though the heart was the center of all emotions. Surely, everyone who has been heartbroken feels that heaviness in the center of the chest. Of course, when someone is excited, the heart beats faster. Thus, it is a natural inclination to associate heart with passion.
The heart shape of a valentine really does not look like a heart.
One of the most intriguing suggestions stems from the seventh century B.C. city-state of Cyrene. Cyrene traded the rare, now extinct, plant silphium. It was known as a means for birth control. The seedpod of the silphium looks exactly like a valentine's heart. Moreover, its use in sex is an obvious connection to love.
Some claim that the round, soft edges of the heart represent fertility or a female body. Visualizing the heart as a depiction of the pubic mound stirs some interesting comparisons. Others also state that it is the shape of a female buttocks pointing down the legs.
However, turn the heart upside down and it becomes a particularly intriguing symbol. Now the heart looks like a pair of plump, dangling breasts. The heart also compares favorably again to the female buttocks this time pointing up the back. The upside down heart also compares favorably to the male genitalia with two testicles and a pointed penis. Others have suggested the heart image looks like the tip of the penis.
It is amazing that such an endearing image has so many possible erotic connections. Perhaps that is why it has endured for so long as such a powerful and connotative symbol.
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