Love is in the air as Valentine’s day approaches filled with heart-shaped candy, conversation hearts and flowers. Everyone knows that Valentine’s day is full of red and spilling your guts out, shooting your shot or sadly and unfortunately, dumped. Have you ever wondered how valentine’s day started?
Legend of St.Valentine
It all starts with St. Valentine, although there were two others with the same name. This Valentine was a priest that served in third century Rome. An emperor named Claudius II decided that men that were single made better soldiers rather than those that had wives and families. Therefore, marriage was outlawed. Our friend, St. Valentine, thought this was outrageous and went against Claudius II and performed marriage to those in love in secret. Then, Claudius II learned of Valentines actions and ordered that Valentine be put to death. Another legend about Valentine is that he sent the first “valentine” to a girl he fell in love with who also happened to be his jailor’s daughter who visited him while he was in prison. Before his death, it is said that he wrote the girl a letter that was signed “From your Valentine,” a saying that is used today. Although there are many legends about the story of St. Valentine there are some common themes of love and romance. Valentine Greetings became popular way back in the middle ages. Written Valentine’s didn’t come about until the 1400’s. The oldest known valentine known today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans in 1415, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.Valentine’s day is celebrated in many places. Americans are thought to have started exchanging these heartfelt messages in the 1700s. In the 1840’s, Esther Howland, made valentines with materials such as lace, ribbons and pictures. She is called the “Mother of the Valentine.”According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, and women purchase approximately 85% of all valentines.
Here are some Valentine’s Day Fun Facts
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Valentine’s Day is a popular holiday to get engaged. A 2017 study by a diamond retailer found that 43% of millennials chose Valentine’s Day. as their top choice of day to propose or be proposed to.
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Millions of greeting cards are purchased around this time of year.
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Last year 5% of marriages and committed relationships began online.
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Conversation hearts originally medical lozenges and did not have their heart shape until 1902.
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More Americans skip Valentines Day than you may think.
Editors, H. (2019, January 23). History of Valentine’s Day. Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2