why has the SAINT been dropped from Saint Valentines day?

Question

Is this offensive to Christians?

St. Valentine he was a Christian and it's his day.

Answer 1

I still call it St. Valentine's Day, but, like others, I tend to drop the "Saint" in casual conversation. I think this is a more accurate reason than saying that it was deliberately "dropped," though it's also true that St. Valentine's feast day was removed from the Roman Catholic calendar back in 1969 as part of an effort to remove saints viewed by some as being "of purely legendary origin."

Answer 2

I guess because people see it more as Valentines day and not a saint as it not really a religious thing anymore and having just Patricks Day would be confusing as people would ask Who's Patrick but say Saint Patricks Day and makes sense

Answer 3

There are THREE St Valentines ALL sharing the same date. Martyred during a Roman festival which used names in a `love lottery`, the association with love was adopted by Christianity. Scratch a Christian festival, discover its Pagan roots.

Answer 4

Because, just like Christmas, it's lost it's meaning and has just become another gifts and candy holiday. It has become about Romance instead of about a person. (I actually don't know what the original intent was) I don't find it offensive obviously since I don't even know who St. Valentine was. I'm not Catholic, we don't do saints in Christianity.

Answer 5

Yes, it is offensive to me as a Christian. I have never heard March 17 called "Patrick's Day." It's always SAINT Patrick's Day. Even the day of the infamous 1929 mob murders is referred to as the SAINT Valentine's Day Massacre. Moreover, if you look at greeting cards in English, not a single one of them uses SAINT Valentine's Day any longer (although they used to), but if you look at greeting cards in Spanish, they always have "SANCTO Valentino." The dropping of SAINT is of relatively recent vintage. It is associated with the growing secularization of the United States, which includes the perversion of a holyday into a secular excuse for selling greeting cards, candy, and flowers.

Answer 6

Yeah it predated Christianity just like Christmas, Easter and All Souls (Halloween). Was the day animals supposedly paired off together, birds and that. St. Valentine died a gruesome death as a martyr too I think - not good for card sales that..

Answer 7

It is offensive to me not because im a christian, it is offensive to me because corporations see me only as a potential buyer and have no regard for anything else.
The SAINT has been dropped so as to invite potential celebrants of different faiths that don't believe in saints: Jews, atheists, muslims, agnostics etc. Dropping the saint won't exclude non christians.
The more people celebrate the "holiday" the more money restaurants, hallmark, corporations make.

Answer 8

Why wouldn't it be it's named after a Saint after all that's why it a Christian holiday but other idiots may be offended if you try and keep it only for Christians. Christians shouldn't mind they gave up Christmas and Easter readily enough with trees and Santa, bunny rabbits and Easter eggs.

Answer 9

Those wanting to sell more things certainly have worked hard at de-religionizing this day. After all, by making it a non-religious holiday everyone could participate in the holiday without reservation.

Wouldn't they be really happy if they could de-religionize Christmas by calling it something else like "Holidays" or "Sparkle Season".... hey, wait a minute.

Answer 10

It hasn't been "dropped", it's just people don't say it when in casual conversation, it still is officially St. Valentine's Day, but things evolve and become shorter. It's just a fact of life.