Ah, Valentine’s Day. The Yearly Day of Love.
I remember being a kid and signing those cute funny valentine day cards and handing one to each of my classmates while anticipating reading the ones I would receive in my own brown sack bag hoping each of my friends would give me one too.
I do not remember when the theme behind the day became more real or important and when it transitioned but as years passed it made me wonder how this day come about. Why we all expect those gifts of love and appreciation outside other important dates such as anniversaries. What really made this day equal to that and similar and because of this I did a little internet history digging.
Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, originated from a Christian feast day honoring early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and somehow over the years has become a significant celebration of romance and love throughout cultures, religions, and commercially.
There are a variety of stories linked to Saint Valentine. These stories include during the 3rd century Saint Valentine was sent to prison and persecuted in Rome for ministering to Christians. Then there is addition that Saint Valentine restored sight to a blind daughter of his jailer during this imprisonment. Numerous later additions have since been made to the legend that relate to the theme of love such as an 18th-century exaggeration that claims Valentine wrote the same jailors daughter a letter signing it "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution. Another tradition explains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry during that time. Due to these love additions the day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when connections to courtly love that flourished, associating with the term "lovebirds" of the early spring. In the 18th-century of England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers and sending greeting cards that we know as sending a valentine. Valentine's Day symbols then begin to grow into what we use today such as heart-shaped outlines, doves, and the small figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have provided creations of greeting cards. In Italy, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to significant others as a romantic gesture and symbol for an invitation to unlock the giver's heart. Hints the statement, “you hold the key to my heart”.
With this sporadic history of the day it is still unsure how it all connects and came to be, but one thing is for sure this day throughout time has been in dedication to those we admire and is actually celebrated all not to different from others around the world. Other cultures will celebrate with candy or flowers and cards, but what differs is the time of year or the name. Brazil celebrates Dia dos Namorados translated to "Lovers' Day" or "Boyfriends'/Girlfriends' Day" on June 12 where for them traditionally many single women perform popular rituals in order to find a good husband or boyfriend alongside carnivals and festivals. Then Colombia celebrates Día del amor y la amistad on the third Saturday in September instead of February. With these differences one more occurs, while we recognize couples and significant others many take this time to recognize friendships and appreciation of others as well. Friendship becomes involved because here it is also common to see people perform appreciation acts for their friends such as with Latin America the day is referred to Día de los Enamorados ('Day of Lovers') or Día del Amor y la Amistad ('Day of Love and Friendship'). In Finland, Valentine's Day is called ystävänpäivä, which means "Friend's Day" and Estonia has similar references. As these names indicate, this day is more about remembering friends, not significant others.
DID YOU KNOW?
Although the day started fairly early to us some did not recognize this holiday and its traditions until the late 1900s like Afganastan in 1993 and India in 1992. Since then Valentine's Day has become a major source of economic activity and income or outcome. The total expenditures in 2017 topped $18.2 billion leading to almost over $136 per person. This is an increase from $108 per person in 2010. In 2019, a survey by the National Retail Federation found that over the previous decade, the percentage of people who celebrate Valentine's Day had declined steadily. From their survey results, they found three primary reasons: over-commercialization of the holiday, not having a significant other, and not being interested in celebrating it. If we can start to view it as others do maybe we would become more involved. We would stop seeing it as a day for couples only but to appreciate the friends and family we have and a time to celebrate one another. Instead of spending money and overexaggerating it bring it back down to just that one goofy cute valentine card we used to get as kids and be happy with something as simple as that. We can get candy any day but not those valentines.
Reviewing this history it is hard to exactly know how this day originated and became a day of admiration and loyalty and love but somehow made it here to where all over the world we try and recognize it in one way or another. It is neat to know one day can have so much meaning, mean more then what we thought we knew. Not just for couples but those that are single and those that are just friends.
What are your earliest memories of Valentine’s Day? Have they changed any today?
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