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History of Valentine's Day
History's Romantics
Valentine's Day: Quotations
Did You Know?
Survival Guide
Valentine Jokes
Valentines Day Pics
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Valentines Day History
Every February,
across the country,
candy, flowers, and
gifts are exchanged
between loved ones,
all in the name of
St. Valentine. But
who is this
mysterious saint and
why do we celebrate
this holiday? The
history of
Valentine's Day —
and its patron saint
— is shrouded in
mystery. But we do
know that February
has long been a
month of romance.
St. Valentine's Day,
as we know it today,
contains vestiges of
both Christian and
ancient Roman
tradition. So, who
was Saint Valentine
and how did he
become associated
with this ancient
rite? Today, the
Catholic Church
recognizes at least
three different
saints named
Valentine or
Valentinus, all of
whom were martyred.
One legend contends
that Valentine was a
priest who served
during the third
century in Rome.
When Emperor
Claudius II decided
that single men made
better soldiers than
those with wives and
families, he
outlawed marriage
for young men — his
crop of potential
soldiers. Valentine,
realizing the
injustice of the
decree, defied
Claudius and
continued to perform
marriages for young
lovers in secret.
When Valentine's
actions were
discovered, Claudius
ordered that he be
put to death.
Other stories
suggest that
Valentine may have
been killed for
attempting to help
Christians escape
harsh Roman prisons
where they were
often beaten and
tortured.
According to one
legend, Valentine
actually sent the
first 'valentine'
greeting himself.
While in prison, it
is believed that
Valentine fell in
love with a young
girl — who may have
been his jailor's
daughter — who
visited him during
his confinement.
Before his death, it
is alleged that he
wrote her a letter,
which he signed
'From your
Valentine,' an
expression that is
still in use today.
Although the truth
behind the Valentine
legends is murky,
the stories
certainly emphasize
his appeal as a
sympathetic, heroic,
and, most
importantly,
romantic figure.
It's no surprise
that by the Middle
Ages, Valentine was
one of the most
popular saints in
England and France.
While some believe
that Valentine's Day
is celebrated in the
middle of February
to commemorate the
anniversary of
Valentine's death or
burial — which
probably occurred
around 270 A.D —
others claim that
the Christian church
may have decided to
celebrate
Valentine's feast
day in the middle of
February in an
effort to 'christianize'
celebrations of the
pagan Lupercalia
festival. In ancient
Rome, February was
the official
beginning of spring
and was considered a
time for
purification. Houses
were ritually
cleansed by sweeping
them out and then
sprinkling salt and
a type of wheat
called spelt
throughout their
interiors.
Lupercalia, which
began at the ides of
February, February
15, was a fertility
festival dedicated
to Faunus, the Roman
god of agriculture,
as well as to the
Roman founders
Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the
Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the
sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the
founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for
by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice
a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped
them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets,
gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the
goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women
welcomed being touched with the hides because it was
believed the strips would make them more fertile in the
coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all
the young women in the city would place their names in a
big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a
name out of the urn and become paired for the year with
his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.
Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day
around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic
pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later,
during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in
France and England that February 14 was the beginning of
birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the
middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day
for romance. The oldest known valentine still in
existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of
Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower
of London following his capture at the Battle of
Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is
part of the manuscript collection of the British Library
in London, England. Several years later, it is believed
that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to
compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly
celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle
of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and
lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of
affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the
century, printed cards began to replace written letters
due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made
cards were an easy way for people to express their
emotions in a time when direct expression of one's
feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also
contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending
Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began
exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In
the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first
mass-produced valentines in America.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated
one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making
Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday
of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent
for Christmas.)
Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased
by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's
Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom,
France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the
Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear
until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card
is on display at the British Museum. The first
commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in
the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland.
Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made
elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful
pictures known as "scrap".
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