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Valentine's Day
is celebrated February 14th, a day on which lovers express their feelings for each other by sending Valentine’s cards or giving gifts. The holiday is named after two early Christian martyrs named Valentine and the day became associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages, a time when “courtly love” flourished. Modern Valentine symbols include hearts and the figure of the winged Cupid. The sending of Valentine notes became popular in the nineteenth century. Today, the U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent worldwide each year. This makes it the second largest card sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France and Australia.
Valentine greetings date as far back as the Middle Ages, although written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400. (The oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum.) In England, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th century, it was common for lovers to exchange small tokens of affection and handwritten notes. By the end of eighteenth century, printed cards began to replace written letters. Americans began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Easter A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in the United States. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap."
The history of Valentine's Day is shrouded in mystery. February has long been a month of romance and St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. One legend contends that Saint 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. Another legend contends that Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that he fell in love with a young girl 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. By the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
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