Valentine's Day, it's here . kind of. It seems hard to believe, because it feels like yesterday we were getting back to school from winter break. Sadly, retailers around the country have been preparing for this one-day event for weeks now. As soon as Christmas cards were done being sent, Valentine's Day cards hit the shelves in full force. As shoppers walk into stores, the sea of pink, red and purple rushes over them like a wave. Hearts dance in front of our eyes just like the candy canes did a few months before.
But Valentine's Day wasn't always about the commercialism that it is today, and contrary to popular belief Valentine's Day is not a holiday that was thought up J.C. Hall (the founder of Hallmark) in 1910. There are two common legends that pop up on the Internet when looking up "the history of Valentine's Day," and neither of these legends is particularly romantic. The first one is from A.D. 268. After many bloody battles in Rome, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage because he could no longer find soldiers who wanted to go fight and leave their families behind. Only one saint, St. Valentine, defied the emperor's orders and continued to perform secret marriage ceremonies.
Long story short, St. Valentine was jailed, and while he was in jail he fell in love. He would write love letters to his love, and the day he died, Feb. 14, A.D. 269, he signed the letter "love from your valentine." According to some, that's the way the story of Valentine's Day began.
Another story, which has even less to do with love, also comes from Rome. In the time around A.D. 469, the Romans celebrated a fertility ceremony called "Lupercalia." The ceremony was held on Feb. 15, and Pope Gelasius declared the day before, Feb. 14, St. Valentine's Day, as a way to honor the saint who allowed marriages to continue in Rome many years before. So now we know, Valentine's Day comes from a guy who, more or less, rebelled against the system to allow love to continue in Rome so many years ago.
But what about the cards? The ones that we spends precious minutes of our lives pouring over to make sure we get the one that says "I love you" in the right way. These cards are also the ones that as a child we beg our parents to buy for us long before Valentine's Day is even a blip on anyone's radar, however, when the time comes to pick out what box of cards we want to give out to our classmates we have to pick between Hello Kitty and Disney princesses. So, if the holiday that was not created as a way to sell cards, then those pieces of cardstock must have had their humble beginnings long before that 1910 founding of Hallmark.
The tradition of giving cards was started across the pond in the 18th century when the English began giving out handmade cards as expressions of love. The tradition along with lace and ribbons was spread to the American colonists shortly thereafter. The tradition of handing out cards did not become widespread until 1850 when Esther A. Howland began to mass distribute cards. So, if anyone is to blame for Valentine's Day for being the popular, moneymaking holiday that it is, the blame should be laid on Howland. But from handmade cards with ribbons and lace we have moved to $4 cards that sing. That's a ridiculous price to pay for a card, because it shouldn't matter how much glitter, how many bows or what popular song it sings. What should matter is the meaning behind it . and if the meaning is truly there, then what's the point of giving a card.
Sadly enough, we all buy into the commercialism. Today, Valentine's Day is a day in which people are expected to pick one or more people to show their appreciation/love/affection towards them through some kind of socially accepted representation of Valentine's Day. People spend more money on Valentine's Day than any other holiday (beside Christmas, of course). But what's the point of spending $96 on a dozen roses that are just going to die in a week or so anyways? That money could be better spent on something else. Valentine's Day did not begin as a day that was meant for a declaration of love, but as a day to honor a patron saint. So as you go out and by those cards, chocolates and stuffed teddy bears, remember that without St. Valentine risking his life to perform secret marriages, this day would not be in existence and we would have to find another day to share our love with someone, although its something we should be doing everyday.
Saint Valentine was the only Saint who would perform marriages after outlawed by Emperor Claudius II in A.D. 268.
