Though Valentine’s Day has come to be known as a day filled with chocolate treats, there’s a much older sweet treat that has connections with the romantic holiday – honey. St. Valentine is known as the patron saint of lovers since the Roman Emperor, Emperor Claudius II, believed that single men made better soldiers and banned marriages. St. Valentine defied the ban and secretly married couples. He was eventually caught and imprisoned, where he shared Christianity with his jailers and even healed the jailer's daughter of her blindness. He was executed and a note was found signed "your Valentine" addressed to the daughter.
Bees play a vital role in our ecosystem and are known for producing honey, a sweet and versatile food source. In ancient times, honey was associated with love, fertility, and sweetness, making it the perfect symbol for Valentine's Day. Honey was also thought to have healing properties and was used as a natural remedy for various ailments. St. Valentine was also a beekeeper, and bees and so beekeepers came to symbolise love and the protection of marriage and family.
Love and honey have a long history, from Cupid's arrows dipped in honey to myths of Ra's tears turning into honeybees. A tradition holds that if a couple's love is "meant-to-bee", they can walk through a swarm of bees without getting stung. The word "honeymoon" also has beekeeping roots, referring to the gift of mead to a newlywed couple to bring luck and fertility to the marriage.
In medieval Europe, bees were also considered symbols of love and loyalty. The queen bee, who ruled the hive with absolute authority, was thought to represent the perfect wife, who devoted herself to her husband and her home. Honey, on the other hand, was associated with the sweetness of love and was often used as a metaphor for a happy and harmonious relationship.
Valentine's Day, bees, and honey are intricately connected, with each representing a different aspect of love and affection. From ancient times to the modern day, these symbols continue to evoke emotions and inspire people to express their love and appreciation for one another. On Valentine's Day, it is appropriate to invoke St. Valentine for love and sweetness. Even if one is not a beekeeper, one can still attract love and sweetness by coming from a place of love.