How Valentine’s Day originated?

According to most research Valentine’s Day gets its name from one or two men who were early Christians and went by the name Valentine. History also records that the English writer Geoffrey Chaucer and others may have been responsible for connecting February 14 and Valentine’s Day with romance and courting of a woman by a man.

There is some variance in the stories surrounding the day, but it is generally agreed that a Roman who followed Christ, Saint Valentine, died on February 14 in the year 269 A.D. He was martyred because he reportedly refused to stop following that religion. It is believed that his last note, read by the daughter of a jailer included the note “from your Valentine.” This saint was reportedly killed by the emperor Claudius both for his religious beliefs and for secretly conducting forbidden marriages.

Other research shows that this particular day was devoted to honoring the queen of all the gods and goddesses of Rome. Written records state that the day was designated St. Valentine’s Day by the Pope 200 years after the saint’s death. While cultures differed, in most cases boys and girls, as well as young men and women, lived, worked and went to school separately. Writing messages, such as those used on Valentine’s Day, was one of the few ways they could communicate. As far back as Roman times, the young people would sometimes draw names to determine who they would enjoy the Valentine’s Day festivities with.

Over the years the day was seen more often as a day for expressing love through various messages and cards. In some countries, the day was also a time of feasting and dancing. The dates became a great commercial event in the 1800s. Some credit a woman named Esther Howland with sending out early Valentine’s Day cards. For many years, the messages expressing love were hand written. But this soon changed, as companies began to produce and distribute ready-made cards.

Giving a message of love or devotion to another eventually became so popular that factories were established to manufacture cards, using hearts, flowers and Cupid, the long-recognized symbol of love between two people. The practice of exchanging cards, flowers and eventually sweets as chocolate in heart-shaped boxes, grew until it has become a major industry.

The day is not celebrated in some countries to the extent that it is in England and in the United States. But the advertising and marketing efforts of card manufacturers, flower companies and candy companies has helped this holiday spread to many countries around the world. Some religions discourage celebration of this holiday, calling it a pagan ritual that should be eliminated. However, statistics from recent years compiled by the United States Greeting Card Association indicate that people purchase as many as a billion valentine cards and other items used for messages. Only the Christmas holiday outranks Valentine’s Day as a time for sending greeting cards. The association figures also show that men spend the majority of the money on Valentine’s Day items.

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