February is the month of love. Valentine’s Day is when greeting cards, flowers, and chocolates are exchanged left, right, and centre with loved ones. Children at school usually have fun card making activities that they can exchange with their classmates or give to their family members. However, with all the festivities, there are still people who are unaware of how Valentine traditions started.
Valentine Traditions: Why Do We Give Valentine’s cards?
There are many speculations about how Valentine traditions started. Here are the most common stories of the beginnings of valentine’s Day. You may be surprised about how some of the modern-day traditions still have traces of these stories in them today.
Saint Valentine
Probably the most common theory of the origins of Valentine traditions starts with the saint with the holiday’s namesake, Saint Valentine himself. Saint Valentine is said to have been a priest who lived in the year 270. He was imprisoned because he was secretly marrying couples to save the husbands from having to go and fight in the war. His crimes earned him a place in prison. He ended up being condemned to death by the emperor for his defiance. While he was inside the prison, he fell in love with the daughter of his prison guards. On the day of his execution (which fell on February 14th of course), he wrote a final love note to his beloved. He lovingly signed the letter “Your Valentine”.
A Replacement For Lupercalia
Another speculation of how Valentine traditions began brings us to 5th century Rome. Pope Gelasius I was said to have been looking for a more religious holiday to take the place of the Roman festival of Lupercalia. The Pope decided that the mid-February festival can be conveniently replaced by a celebration of Saint Valentine’s execution date. However, in the beginning, Valentine’s Day was not meant to be a celebration of love.
The First Valentine Cards
It was only later that the traditions of giving Valentine love greeting cards started. Giving greeting cards to friends and family as well as spouses and significant others was the norm when this tradition first started. The celebration of love between partners only became the focus of Valentine traditions when the epic love poem of Saint Valentine was published. Everyone who was sending love to their significant other began signing their letters and cards “Your Valentine”.
Modern Valentine’s Day Traditions
At present, Valentine’s Day is seen to be a celebration of love between two people, but lately, giving greeting cards and gifts to friends and other family members is also becoming more and more popular.
Conclusion
There is no much obscure history behind the giving of Valentine’s Day cards. Whether you commemorate the holiday by giving cards and gifts to a special someone, or to your close friends, Valentine’s Day is an occasion that everyone can enjoy. At its heart, Valentine’s Day centres around love, friendship, and being able to find it even in the darkest of times. It is a holiday that everyone can enjoy.
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