We know it might seem somewhat early to start talking about Valentine’s Day, but in case you didn’t realise it’s already February. The first month of 2010 has flown by. Soon it’s going to be Easter, then Halloween, then Bonfire Night and then Christmas all over again. But we don’t want to think that far in advance, do we? Our wallets and purses cower fearfully at the very mention of the big C.D….
Let’s lay down a bit of Valentine’s Day history first. Did you know the day is named after two Christian martyrs, Saints Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Rome, both of which were martyred on 14th February? The feast that was originally related to them actually had nothing to do with romantic love and a few theories suggest that it wasn’t until the days of Chaucer and courtly love during the 14th Century that the association grew. Towards the end of the 1960’s, the feast day was removed from the General Roman Calendar, though is still celebrated by traditionalist Catholics around the world.
One version of events suggests that one of the Saint Valentines was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by one of Rome’s most esteemed emperors, Claudius II. When he wouldn’t convert to Roman paganism to save his own life and in vain attempted to convert Claudius to Christianity, he was executed. Saint Valentine was said to have contested a law of Claudius’s, ordering that young men remain single in order to ensure he had a strong army. Married men apparently made poor soldiers. According to lore, Valentine secretly performed marriage ceremonies and was attested to have sent the very first valentine addressed to a girl he purportedly cured of blindness. It read ‘From Your Valentine”. Aaaaw.
Of course there are a fair few other stories and myths attributed to the eventual introduction of what we know as Valentine’s Day. According to the ancient Athenian calendar, the entire month of Gamelion was spent celebrating the marriage of Zeus and Hera (ironic considering how that relationship ended up. They were also brother and sister) and the Ancient Romans had Lupercalia between February the 13th and 15th, a festival celebrating fertility.
In 1797, the commercialisation truly began. The Young Man’s Valentines Writer was published in Britain, containing masses of romantic verses for those less talented in the poetry department. Cards went into production decorated with lace and ribbon and sweeping text and general flowery garishness during the Victorian era, thus the greeting card industry was born. Sometime during the 19th century, the giving of gifts became a popular practice, most often chocolates and flowers. These days, almost anything goes. Mp3 players, perfume and aftershave, jewellery, tickets to events, clothes and almost anything else you can possibly think of.
Luckily, we can point you in the right direction. It isn’t always about buying the perfect gift, it isn’t always about going to the nicest restaurant and it certainly isn’t always about how much money you spend. At the end of it all, it’s all about showing how much you love someone and you know what? Love costs nothing.
