We all know that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on 14th February to show our loved ones how much they are adored. But why? How did Valentine’s Day come about?
What is Valentine’s Day?
St Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14th February each year and is an annual festival to celebrate romance, love, friendship.
Every year people celebrate by sending cards, flowers and messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends.
The Early History of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd Century.
At the time of Valentine’s life, many Romans were converting to Christianity, but the Emperor Claudius II was a pagan and created strict laws about what Christians were allowed to do.
Claudius believed that Roman soldiers should be completely devoted to Rome and therefore passed a law preventing them from marrying during wartime.
Bishop Valentine began to marry these soldiers in secret Christian ceremonies, kick-starting his reputation for believing in the importance of love.
Eventually, Valentine was found out and jailed for his crimes against Claudius.
While imprisoned, Valentine cared for his fellow prisoners and also Claudius’s blind daughter.
Legend has it that Valentine cured the girl’s blindness and that his final act before being executed was to write her a love message signed ‘from your Valentine’. Valentine was executed on 14th February in the year 270.
How did Valentine’s Day develop?
It wasn’t until more than 200 years later that 14th February was proclaimed St Valentine’s Day.
By this time Rome had become Christian and the Catholic Church was determined to stamp out any remaining paganism. A pagan fertility ritual was held in February each year and the Pope abolished this festival and proclaimed 14th February – Saint Valentine’s Day, thus establishing this feast day on the Catholic Calendar of Saints.
When was the first Valentine’s Day card sent?
The practice of sending love messages developed into people sending special cards expressing their affection.
It is believed that the first ever Valentine’s card to be sent was by The Duke of Orleans who sent the card to his wife whilst he was a prisoner in the Tower of London in the 15th century.
About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. This makes it the second largest seasonal card sending time of the year after Christmas.
Why does an ‘X’ symbolise a kiss?
People in medieval times who couldn’t write their names often signed an X which they then kissed to show their sincerity.
Why are red roses traditional?
The red rose was the favourite flower of Venus – the Roman goddess of love.
Approximately 50 million roses are sent to loved ones on Valentine’s Day around the world, 73% of bought by men, while 27% by women.
I’m single, what about me?
Singles Awareness Day (yes, really), known as Singles Appreciation Day is your day. Singles Awareness Day is held the day after Valentines and celebrates all the people who are not in romantic relationships. The day is all about appreciating time with yourself.
