Every February 14, across the United States and in many other places around the globe, loved ones exchange candy, flowers and gifts in the name of St. Valentine. But where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of St. Valentine, as well as where the Valentine’s Day Card originated.
The Saint
There were actually numerous saints named Valentinus, with their legends eventually combining into one over the years. A recurring theme says Saint Valentine of Rome was arrested for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. Another popular legend of him says that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers, who were forbidden to marry due to the belief that married men made for bad soldiers.
Folk Traditions
Valentine’s Day hasn’t always been connected to love and romance. In fact, the patron of love is Saint Anthony, whose day is celebrated on June 13. But there are other traditions surrounding Valentine’s Day, too. In Norfolk, instead of lovers exchanging gifts, a character called “Jack” Valentine knocks on the back door of houses, leaving sweets and presents for children as if were some sort of Santa Claus. In Slovenia, Valentine was one of the saints of spring, the saint of good health and the patron of beekeepers and pilgrims. Some folk traditions say that plants and flowers start to grow and birds start courting their mates on February 14.
The Oldest Valentine Cards
The oldest Valentine’s Day card still in existence was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London. The poem he wrote was addressed to his wife, who would die before it would reach her. As you can expect from a man in jail, far from his loved ones, the poem was not the lighthearted fare we’ve become used to. Translated from the original French:
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine,
Since for me you were born too late,
And I for you was born too soon.
God forgives him who has estranged
Me from you for the whole year.
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine.
Well might I have suspected
That such a destiny,
Thus would have happened this day,
How much that Love would have commanded.
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine.
Poem from Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife in 1415.
The oldest existing reference to the word “Valentine” in the English language was written by Margery Brews. This well-born young lady sent the letter to a young man named John Paston. While they were courting, their parents were negotiating over their marriage. How romantic, huh? It contained the usual melodramatics one might expect of a young woman in love.
“But if you love me, as I truly believe you do, you will not leave me because of that. Because even if you did not have half the wealth that you do, and I had to undertake the greatest toil that any woman alive should, I would not forsake you. And if you command me to remain faithful wherever I go, I will indeed do everything in my power to love you and no one else ever. Even if my friends say I am acting wrongly, they will not prevent me from so doing. My heart commands me to love you truly above all earthly things for evermore. And however angry they may be, I trust it shall be better in time to come.”
Hand-Made Puzzle Purse Valentine, 1790
In 539 years, maybe the words have changed, but the sentiment hasn’t. This story has a happy ending, though, as they were eventually married.
The 17th & 18th Centuries
Though those were some of the earliest Valentine messages, it took a long time for them to catch on. Writing special notes and letters for Valentine’s Day didn’t gain widespread popularity until the 1700s. These traditions started in Great Britain, and would spread over the centuries to Australia, France, Canada, the United States, and Mexico. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.
The 19th Century
The majority of early Victorian valentines were made by hand from tissue paper, watercolors, colored inks, embossed paper hearts, lace and more. Then Esther A. Howland first began mass-producing and selling pre-made Valentine’s Day Cards in America in the 1840s. Known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” she created ornate cards with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” The development of the United States Postal Service helped Valentine’s Day cards to proliferate even more. As they become more popular, they became more complicated and expressive. By the end of the 1800s, you could even find pop-up cards.
Esther Howland Valentine Card 1870
The 20th Century
At the beginning of the 20th century, improvements in printing technology caused printed cards to basically overtake written letters. Ready-made cards were a simple and easy way for people to express their love, which could be sent easily through the mail. The Hallmark company, started in 1910, helped to expand the availability and variety of greeting cards, including Valentine’s Day Cards. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity. Over the rest of the century, Valentine’s Day became more commercialized and associated much, much less with religion. It’s become a popular gift-giving event, with many retail and service sectors appealing to people with Valentine’s Day themed promotions and events.
To My Valentine, 1910
Present Day
Even though they’ve been around for a long time, paper Valentine’s Day cards that people can hold in their hands have become very special. They’re far more meaningful than an electronic message, which many people are used to receiving these days. Additionally, though digital printing has reduced the cost of printing greeting cards, the popularity of scrapbooking and papercrafting have led to a return of handmade Valentine’s Day cards. You can make them yourself if you have the skills, order them from Etsy, or any other number of places.
In the United States, about 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. That doesn’t include the adorable cards children exchange at school, which number in the hundreds of millions, too. That’s not all that we’re sending, either. In the United States, the average Valentine’s spending has increased every year, from $108 a person in 2010 to $142.31 in 2015. That’s way more than just a card!
If you liked this post, perhaps you may also like to read about the history of greeting cards, the history of RSVP cards and the history of the business card.