I remember as a child that yearly trip to the store with my mother to pick out the Valentine’s greeting cards that I would later take to school for all my classmates. Once they were purchased I would peruse them at length determining which was the right one for Becky, for Sandra, and the all important one for Warren. A shoebox was taken to school before the big day; and decorated with my name, hearts and the like. A hole was cut in the top so all the wonderful Valentine’s could be dropped inside. On Valentine’s Day we would all bring in our Valentine’s greeting cards and distribute them into their appropriate boxes. It was such fun looking through all the ones I was given. Seeing how many duplicates I received, seeing if I was lucky enough to get one with a sucker attached, and seeing if there was one from Warren.
You probably have similar childhood memories; and if you are a romantic at heart you probably enjoy Valentine’s Day with all its hearts, cupids, doves, candy, flowers, and such. Do you ever wonder who is responsible for creating what has become one of the biggest commercial holidays of the year.
Wikipedia says “Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14th celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.” Further, it credits Pope Gelasius I with establishing Saint Valentine’s Day in 500 AD.
The first “valentine” card is said to have been given by a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned. Supposedly, he fell in love with the jailers blind daughter who visited him during his confinement. He is reported to have performed a miracle by healing her. Before his execution it is said that he wrote her a letter that was signed “From your Valentine”; an expression we still see on greeting cards today. Whether you believe the legend or not, you cannot deny that it makes for a very romantic story.
Another theory links Valentine's Day to the beginning of spring which was considered to be February in ancient Rome. Lupercalia, a festival observed from February 13th through 15th was a time for cleansing. The festival included a fertility ritual and the pairing of bachelors with the young women of the city. These pairings often ended in marriage. This Roman system was considered un-Christian; and later outlawed.
Some say Geoffrey Chaucer first wrote about the association of romantic love and Valentine's Day when he wrote this poem for the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. “For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.” (For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.) It is assumed that Chaucer was referring to February 14th; however, this seems an unlikely time of year for birds to be mating in England.
Valentine’s Day began to be popular in Great Britain by the 17th century; and commonly celebrated in the 18th century by giving gifts or handwritten notes to friends and lovers. Improvements in printing technology at the end of the 18th century made it easy for printed cards to replace written letters. Handmade valentine’s cards began to be exchanged in the United States in the early 1700s; and Esther Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in the 1840s. History.com reports that 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.
Today, I confess I still love getting Valentine’s greetings. I still don’t get one from Warren; but I do get a lovely one from the love of my life (my husband) every Valentine’s Day. It’s usually filled with words that touch my heart. Isn’t that what Valentine’s Day should be? Showing love in whatever way you can. Whether you send a greeting card, buy a gift, take a loved one out for a nice meal, or have their name tattooed on your arm really doesn’t matter. Even if you think Valentine’s Day is nonsense, what matters is that you let the people you love know that you love them. Seems like we should celebrate Valentine’s Day every day of the year. Well, shouldn’t we?
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