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Every February 14, couples send flowers, buy chocolate and break
out their romantic sides. Few people, however, know how we came
to celebrate Valentine's Day. They may even believe the holiday
was invented by the flower and greeting card industry. In fact,
a history of Valentine's Day through the years recounts many
mysteries, romantic figures, and smart entrepreneurs.
One legend suggests Valentine was a priest in the third century
in Rome when Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men
because he thought single men made better soldiers than men with
wives and families. Valentine secretly continued to perform
marriages and when his actions were discovered, Claudius
sentenced him to death. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of
February, about the year 270.
Another story has it that while in prison, Valentine fell in
love with a young girl who visited him during his confinement
and who may have been his jailor's daughter. The future saint
cured the girl of her blindness and before his death, he
allegedly wrote his love a letter, signing it 'From your
Valentine,' an expression still common today.
We may owe our observance of Valentine's Day to the Roman
celebration of Lupercalia, a festival that honored Juno
Februata, the goddess of "feverish" love. Annually, on February
15th, young men and women would draw names to partner with for
romantic game playing. Early Christians frowned on these
lascivious activities and tried to transform the sexual nature
of Lupercalia by turning the "feast of the flesh" into a "ritual
for romance." The Church selected a single saint, St. Valentine,
to represent the new festival. Since Valentine was martyred on
February 14, the date was also changed. When the names were now
drawn on this day, couples began to exchange small gifts. One of
the earliest known "valentine" cards dates back to 1415. From
his confinement in the Tower of London after the Battle of
Agincourt, a young Frenchman, Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent
several poems or rhymed love letters to his wife in France. One
valentine card showed a drawing of a knight and a lady, with
Cupid in the act of sending an arrow to pierce the knight's
heart. The holiday that honors lovebirds has not always been so
popular, going in and out of favor throughout the centuries. The
celebration experienced renewed vigor in England just prior to
1800 when publishing companies came to the aid of tongue-tied
romeos by distributing booklets of passages that lovers could
recite to each other. Gift giving included cards that were
usually hand painted and often lavishly decorated with laces,
silk or satin, flowers (made from the feathers of tropical
birds), and perfumed sachets. The first U.S. made valentines
were fashioned by a Mount Holyoke College student, Esther
Howland circa 1830. Her father imported valentines every year
from England as a stationer in Worcester, MA. Esther decided to
create her own valentine messages and began importing lace, fine
papers, and other supplies for her cards. Her "Worcester"
valentines sold an estimated hundred thousand dollars annually!
Until the mid-1800's, the cost to send a Valentine through the
mail was beyond the means of the average person. The postal
service even demanded payment from the recipient, not the
sender, of the letter! A hand delivered Valentine became the
most popular way to declare love during this time.
The holiday suffered a popularity plunge in the late 19th
century, but by the 20th century, Americans businesses had
rescued Valentine's Day by turning it into a commercial bonanza.
It became common for a valentine to usually accompany a more
elaborate gift of candy, flowers, dinner, etc. Nowadays, many
schools even enable students to send flowers to each other to
celebrate the day. Valentine's Day cards have emerged to become
the second biggest sellers to Christmas cards. Recently, the
internet has proved increasingly popular to celebrate the day as
well. Now you can send an elecronic greeting card
(http://www.123greetings.com), send chocolate
(http://www.lindt.com) and send flowers
(http://www.beyondblossoms.com) all without leaving the house.
About the author:
Josh Grossman is cofounder of online florist Beyond Blossoms
(http://www.beyondblossoms.com). The company's mission is to
send flowers fresh from the farms with low prices and unique
designs.
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