It is believed that the original Saint Valentine was a priest living at the time of Emperor Claudius II.
Saint Valentine was executed, reportedly on February 14th in the year 269, for helping Roman soldiers get married in secret.
In 496, Pope Gelasius I outlawed the ancient pagan festival of Lupercalia and declared February 14th as the feast day of Saint Valentine.
Valentine’s Day officially became a holiday associated with love in the 1300s.
The first known valentine in the form of a poem was written in 1415 by 21-year-old French royal Charles D’Orleans to his young wife, Bonnie D’Armagnac, in his first year of captivity while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
My very gentle Valentine,
Alas, for me you were born too late,
And I was born too soon for you!
May God forgive my jailer
Who has kept me from you this entire year.
I am sick without your love, my dear,
My very gentle Valentine.
In 1600, Shakespeare mentioned Valentine’s Day in Hamlet. The character Ophelia sang, “Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s Day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine.”
The Industrial Revolution and mainstream use of the printing press contributed to the rise of Valentine cards starting in the 1840s.
Nothing says Valentine’s Day like heart-shaped gifts and chocolate hearts! The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced by Cadburys in 1861.
In 1866 we got to see the first sweet printed messages on candy conversation hearts. Now more than 8 billion iconic conversation hearts are manufactured every year!
Americans send 145 million Valentine’s Day cards each year, which shows the legacy and popularity associated with this holiday.
Valentine’s Day is a great day to show love and gratitude for everyone – not just your special someone, but family members, friends, and even pets!
