Happy Valentine's Day! It's all Chaucer's fault.
Sometime around 1380, Chaucer wrote a poem called The Parliament of Fowls, in which various birds gather together on Valentine's Day to choose their mates. This might have been the first time Valentine's Day was associated with love.
For this was on Seynt Valentynes day,
Whan every foul cometh there to chese his make,
Of every kynde that men thynke may,
And that so huge a noyse gan they make
That erthe, and eyr, and tre, and every lake
So ful was that unethe was there space
For me to stonde, so ful was al the place.
-The Parliament of Fowls, lines 309-315
So, yes, you can blame Chaucer for Valentine's Day. Of course, he also provides mockery of love, if you prefer that.
...For thow were wont to chace
At Love in scorn, and for despit him calle
'Seynt Idiot, lord of thise foles alle.'
-Troilus and Criseyde, I.908-910
It should be noted that making fun of Cupid doesn't work out too well for Troilus, because, well, you don't want to piss off a god with love arrows. It's good mockery, though.
For the record, I don't mind Valentine's Day. I know a lot of single people get bitter about it, but personally, I can't object to any holiday that involves chocolate.
For this was on Seynt Valentynes day,
Whan every foul cometh there to chese his make,
Of every kynde that men thynke may,
And that so huge a noyse gan they make
That erthe, and eyr, and tre, and every lake
So ful was that unethe was there space
For me to stonde, so ful was al the place.
-The Parliament of Fowls, lines 309-315
So, yes, you can blame Chaucer for Valentine's Day. Of course, he also provides mockery of love, if you prefer that.
...For thow were wont to chace
At Love in scorn, and for despit him calle
'Seynt Idiot, lord of thise foles alle.'
-Troilus and Criseyde, I.908-910
It should be noted that making fun of Cupid doesn't work out too well for Troilus, because, well, you don't want to piss off a god with love arrows. It's good mockery, though.
For the record, I don't mind Valentine's Day. I know a lot of single people get bitter about it, but personally, I can't object to any holiday that involves chocolate.