HISTORY49 - Valentine's Day
I recently discovered that there
is some mystery about the origin of Valentine’s Day. And since the annual holiday is rapidly approaching,
I thought the history of Valentine’s Day would make for good blog.
On February. 14th, lovers of all ages will exchange
cards, flowers, candy, and more lavish gifts in the name of Saint Valentine, a
Roman Catholic priest who lived in third century AD. Valentine’s Day originated as a church feast
to honor the decapitation of Saint Valentine as a Christian martyr.
This will be the story of how we got from celebrating a beheading to celebrating romantic love on Valentine’s Day. I’ll caution you upfront that much of the first part of this story is based on legend and folklore.
I’ll start with a summary of the legends of Saint Valentine. Next, I’ll discuss the original Saint Valentine’s
Day, proclaimed in AD 496, that honored Saint Valentine’s death. Then, I’ll skip (as history does) to 14th
century England, where the seeds were planted to drastically change the nature
of Saint Valentine’s Day - to a celebration of romantic love. I’ll discuss the history of the new Valentine’s
Day in terms of its origin and growth, early romantic poetry, the role of Cupid,
the advent of conversation heart confections, and the little-known subject of
nasty valentines. I’ll conclude with
some interesting facts about what Valentine’s Day has become today.
My principal sources include “History
of Valentine’s Day,” history.com; “The Origin Valentine’s Day,”
countryliving.com; “The real St. Valentine was no Patron of love,”
theconversation.com; “22 Fascinating Valentine’s Day Facts That Will Probably
Surprise You,” goodhousekeeping.com; “Saint Valentine,” catholic.org; “Valentine’s
Day, Wikipedia; plus, numerous other online sources.
Legends of Saint Valentine
Ancient
sources reveal that there were several Saint Valentines who died on February 14th. Two of them by legend were executed during
the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II in the third century, at a time when
persecution of Christians was common.
One
legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served 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. 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 by beheading in AD 269.
 |
| Painting of Saint Valentine baptizing Saint Lucilla, by Italian Jacopo Bassano. |
Related
folk tales suggest that Rome’s Valentine may have been killed for attempting to
help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and
tortured. Supposedly, an imprisoned
Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in
love with a young girl - possibly his jailor’s daughter - who visited him
during his confinement. Before his
death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,”
an expression that is still in use today.
Another
legend insists that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, in the Province of Umbria,
Italy, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He was also supposedly beheaded by Claudius in
AD 269.
Note: It is likely
that there weren’t actually two decapitated Valentines, but that two different
versions of one saint’s legend appeared in both Rome and Terni.
The
truth behind the Valentine legends is murky at best, and none of these tales
has any basis in third-century history.
Saint Valentine’s Day -
Celebration of a Christian Martyr
The origin of Saint Valentine’s Day is also tied to legends.
By the fifth century, Christianity had become the dominant
religion in the Roman Empire.
Supposedly, the Feast of Saint Valentine (Valentine’s Day) was
established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496, to be celebrated on February 14th
in honor of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on that date in AD 269.
 |
| According to legend, in AD 496, Pope Gelasius I established February 14th as Valentine's Day to honor the martyred Saint Valentine. |
Other
legends suggest that the modern holiday is a Christian cover-up of the more
ancient Roman pagan celebration of Lupercalia, held annually on February 13th-15th. Lupercalia originated as a ritual in a rural
masculine cult involving the sacrifice of goats and dogs and evolved later into
an urban carnival. During the
festivities half-naked young men ran through the streets of Rome, streaking
people with thongs cut from the skins of newly killed goats. Pregnant women thought it brought them
healthy babies. In AD 496, however, Pope
Gelasius supposedly denounced the rowdy festival as being non-Christian.
Still,
there is no evidence that the pope purposely replaced Lupercalia with the more
sedate cult of the martyred Saint Valentine.
Saint Valentine’s Day -
Celebration of Romantic Love
Legends of the martyred Saint Valentine flourished and grew
through the Middle Ages in Europe. It’s
been said that historical veracity did not count for much with medieval
Christians. What they cared about were
stories of miracles and martyrdoms, and the physical remains or relics of the
saint. Many different churches and
monasteries around medieval Europe claimed to have bits of a St. Valentinus’ skull in
their treasuries. Other alleged relics,
including slivers and bits of one or the other St. Valentinus’ body, were
claimed in Italy,
Ireland, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Malta, among others.
The
love connection to Saint Valentine’s Day appeared more than a thousand years
after the martyrs’ death, and is attributed to English poet and writer Geoffrey
Chaucer, author of “The Canterbury Tales.”
In his poem, “Parliament of Fowls,” written in 1382, he portrays a dream
vision of a parliament for birds on Saint Valentine’s Day to choose their
mates. (During the Middle Ages, it was
commonly believed in France and England that February 14th was the
beginning of birds’ mating season,)
Honoring the first anniversary of the engagement of
fifteen-year-old King Richard II of England to fifteen-year-old Anne of
Bohemia, and gently satirizing the tradition of courtly love, Chaucer wrote (translated to modern English):
"For this was on Saint Valentine's Day
When every
bird comes there to choose his match
Of every
kind that men may think of
And that so
huge a noise they began to make
That earth
and air and tree and every lake
Was so
full, that not easily was there space
For me to
stand - so full was all the place."
 |
| English poet and writer Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to associate Valentine's Day with romantic lover. |
Soon,
nature-minded European nobility began sending love notes during bird-mating
season. For example, in the oldest known
valentine still in existence today, the French Duke of Orléans, who spent some
years as a prisoner in the Tower of London, wrote to his wife in February 1415
that he was “already sick of love” (by which he meant lovesick.) And he called
her his “very gentle Valentine.”
Englishmen
and women soon began celebrating Valentine’s Day on February 14th as
a day for romance and as an opportunity to exchange love letter.
Growth
of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s
Day grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other
by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards
(known as "valentines").
Valentine's Day symbols included the heart-shaped outline, doves, and
the figure of the winged Cupid.
During the 17th century, people started exchanging
cards and handwritten letters to both lovers and friends.
It the late 17th century, giving flowers became a
popular custom. In fact, the practice can be traced back to when King Charles II of Sweden
learned the "language of flowers" - which pairs different flowers
with specific meanings - on a trip to Persia, and subsequently introduced the
tradition to Europe. The act of giving
flowers then became a popular trend during the Victorian Era - including on
Valentine's Day - with red roses symbolizing deep love. (The
Victorian Era is the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until
her death on 22 January 1901.)
 |
| Valentine's Day, circa 1800. |
By
the middle of the 18th century, it was common for friends and lovers
of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten
notes.
In the 1840s, the first Valentine's Day cards were
mass-produced in the U.S., sold by Esther A. Howland. Known as the "Mother of
the American Valentine," Howland is credited with commercializing Valentine's
Day cards in America, and she is remembered for her elaborate, crafty cards
made with lace and ribbons.
 |
| Esther Howland Valentine card. |
The
first heart-shaped box of chocolates was created by English
entrepreneur, chocolate maker, and philanthropist, Richard Cadbury, who started packaging
chocolates in fancy boxes to increase sales. He introduced the first heart-shaped box of
chocolates in 1868.
By
1900, 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.
By
the early 1910s, an American company that would one day become Hallmark began
distributing its more official "Valentine's Day cards." Flowers, candy, jewelry, and more followed,
and the rest, of course, is history.
 |
| Valentine card, 1913. |
Early Valentine Poetry
The
earliest surviving valentine in English appear to be those in the Paston
Letters, written in 1477 by Margery Brewes to her future husband, John
Paston, "my right well-beloved Valentine.”
Valentine's
Day is mentioned ruefully by Ophelia in William Shakespeare's Hamlet (1600–1601):
"To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s Day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more."
— William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5
The verse
"Roses are red" echoes conventions traceable as far back as Edmund
Spenser's epic The Faerie Queene (1590):
"She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew,
And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forrest grew.”
The
modern cliché Valentine's Day poem can be found in Gammer Gurton's Garland
(1784), a collection of English nursery rhymes published in London by Joseph
Johnson:
"The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou art my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.
Role of Cupid
The Roman god Cupid is often portrayed
on Valentine’s Day cards as a naked cherub launching arrows of love at
unsuspecting lovers. In Roman mythology, Cupid was the son of
Venus, goddess of love and beauty. He
was known for shooting arrows at both gods and humans, causing them to fall
instantly in love with one another.
Cupid
can actually be traced all the way back to 700 BC, to the Greek god of love
named Eros, who was actually a handsome, immortal man with the intimidating
power to make people fall in love. It
wasn't until the 4th century BC that the Romans adopted Eros into
the image of a cute little boy with a bow and arrow, naming him
"Cupid." By the turn of the 19th
century, Cupid had become linked to Valentine’s Day due to his love-matching
powers.
 |
| Valentine card featuring Cupid. |
Conversation Hearts
Confectionary conversation hearts began when a Boston pharmacist
named Oliver Chase invented a machine that simplified the way medical lozenges
- used for sore throats and other illnesses - could be made. The result was America's first candy-making
machine, because the pharmacist soon started shifting his focus from making
lozenges to candy instead! Chase founded
the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, and the candy lozenges soon
became what we know today as Necco wafers.
In 1866, Oliver's brother, Daniel Chase, started printing
sentimental messages on the Necco sweethearts, though these candies were bigger
than the versions we have today - and featured much longer printed sayings and
phrases. Some of the first
messages: "Married in white you
have chosen right" and "How long shall I have to wait? Please be
considerate."
Today, more than 8 billion conversation hearts are manufactured
each year. And Necco has to start
making them just days after February 14th to have enough in time for
the next Valentine's Day. That's almost
100,000 pounds per day! Each box has
approximately 45 sayings - including "True Love," "Hug Me,"
and "You Rock" - but you can personalize your own, too. They have a shelf life of five years.
 |
| Conversation hearts have been around since 1866. |
Vinegar Valentines
In
the Victorian era, lovers exchanged cards on Valentine’s Day, expressing their
undying love and devotion with sentiments and poems. For those not on good terms, or who wanted to
fend off an enemy or unwanted suitor, “vinegar valentines” offered a stinging
alternative.
“To My Valentine / ‘Tis a lemon that I hand you and bid you now ‘skidoo,’ Because I love another - there is no chance for you,” reads one card. Another depicts a woman dousing an unsuspecting man with a bucket of water. “Here’s a cool reception,” it warns, telling the “old fellow” that he “best step away.”
What
are now known as “vinegar” valentines in the 21st century seem to
have their origin in the 1830s and 1840s.
Before they were dubbed vinegar valentines, these sassy cards were known
as mocking or comic valentines. Their
tone ranged from a gentle jab to downright aggressiveness. There was an insulting card for just about
every person someone might dislike - from annoying salespeople and landlords to
overbearing employers and adversaries of all kinds. Cards could be sent to liars and cheats and
flirts and alcoholics, while some cards mocked specific professions. Their grotesque drawings caricatured common
stereotypes and insulted a recipient’s physical attributes, lack of a marriage
partner, or character traits.
Less
is known about insulting valentines than sentimental ones, in part because very
few survived. Because they were mailed
anonymously, most senders of vinegar valentines faced few repercussions.
As
a result of some of the extreme reactions and regular letters of complaint in
the press, the cards began to fall out of favor in the later 19th
century. Impassioned pleas to clean up
the holiday became widespread.
Today,
very few Valentine’s Day cards convey such a mean spirit. But some have pointed to a modern-day
equivalent for cruel and anonymous jibes: the social media troll.
Vinegar Valentines from the Victorian era.
Valentine’s Day Today
I’ll close by listing some interesting
facts about what Valentine’s Day has turned into today.
Other
Religions Valentine’s Day. Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast
day in the Anglican Communion and
the Lutheran Church. Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also
celebrate Saint Valentine's Day on July 6th in honor of the Roman
Saint Valentine, and on July 30th in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine,
the Bishop of Terni.
International
Valentine’s Day. In addition to the United States, Valentine’s
Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
In
Italy, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol
and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart", as well as to children to
ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady).
Many
Latin American countries know Valentine’s Day as the day of love and
friendship. Though couples exchange
flowers and chocolates on this day, the holiday's focus is also directed at
showing gratitude to friends.
In
Japan, it's customary on February 14th for just the women to give
confections to the men in their lives, with the quality of the chocolate
indicating their true feelings. On March
14th, exactly a month later, the men give reciprocal gifts to the
women who gave them gifts on Valentine’s Day.
This practice began in 1978; since then, it has spread to several other
Asian nations.
Valentine Cards. According to Hallmark, a
whopping 145 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every February 14th
(and that's not even including all those kids' valentines exchanged in
classrooms!). This makes Valentine's Day the second biggest holiday for
exchanging greeting cards, after Christmas. Teacher receive the most Valentine's card annually,
followed by children, mothers, and wives.
Valentines for Pets. American households gave
Valentine's Day presents to their pet dogs in 2020, and more than 17.1 million
picked up gifts for their cats. All in
all, American households spent an estimated $751.3 million on gifts for their
pets on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine
Spending. Americans spent a record-breaking $27.4
billion on Valentine's Day gifts in 2020. People spent an average of
approximately $196 for Valentine's Day, with men spending around $291, compared
to women spending $106.
Valentine’s Gifts. Candy and flowers might
be some of the most common gifts for Valentine's Day, but according to the National Retail Federation, the category that we typically
spend the most on for February 14th is jewelry, at a whopping $5.8
billion in 2020! The second
most-paid-for gift on Valentine's Day 2020 was an evening out with $4.3
billion, followed by clothing, candy and then flowers.
Kids are Valentine’s Day Winners. Valentine's Day has
typically been associated with romantic love and partnership. Interestingly enough, according to a Today
show survey that polled 1,500 people, only 59% of spouses planned on giving
their partners a gift, while 85% of parents planned to give their children
something on February 14th.
Valentine’s Day Proposals. Valentine's Day is one of
the most popular days to pop the question, with as many as 6 million couples getting engaged on February 14th. Valentine's Day was voted the best day of the
year to propose marriage.
Hugs and Kisses. “XOXO” is a popular
signature on Valentine’s Day. The origins of the signature, however, stem from
the Middle Ages. During those times the
“X” symbolized the Christian cross, and letters ended with the sign of the
cross and a kiss to symbolize an oath.
As the gesture became more popular in literature, letters, and
paperwork, it came to mean something had been “sealed with a kiss.”
Valentine's Day Alternative for Singles.
International Quirkyalone Day is the holiday for single people on the
same date. The holiday isn't an
anti-Valentine's Day event, but rather a moment to celebrate self-love and
platonic relationships. International
Quirkyalone Day has been celebrated globally since 2003.
Comments
Post a Comment