{"id":889,"date":"2018-01-24T12:16:01","date_gmt":"2018-01-24T18:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.iseeme.com\/blog\/?p=889"},"modified":"2018-01-23T12:27:38","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T18:27:38","slug":"the-history-of-valentines-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.iseeme.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/24\/the-history-of-valentines-day\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Valentine’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Valentine\u2019s Day?<\/h2>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day occurs on the fourteenth of February. Originally a Catholic saint\u2019s day, Valentine\u2019s Day evolved over the years. Today it\u2019s a day devoted to love and romance. Every year, millions of people across the globe exchange Valentine\u2019s Day cards, chocolates, and roses. Restaurants fill with couples old and young, and love, as they say, is in the air. <\/span><\/p>\n

The history of Valentine\u2019s Day is both fascinating and sometimes frustratingly vague. Let\u2019s examine it together and try to figure out what Valentine\u2019s Day is, and how it became the holiday it is today. <\/span><\/p>\n

Who Was Saint Valentine?<\/h2>\n

Identifying Saint Valentine is a little tricky, as the Catholic church recognizes three different Saint Valentines. The most likely of the three lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius II. <\/span><\/p>\n

Claudius believed single men make better soldiers, so banned young men from marrying. This didn\u2019t sit well with Valentine, who started marrying young lovers in secret. When the authorities caught wind of this, Valentine was arrested. Legend has it that young couples delivered flowers and letters to his prison cell. Valentine supposedly died on February fourteenth.<\/p>\n

How Did Valentine\u2019s Day Start?<\/h2>\n

The history of Valentine\u2019s Day is complicated by the fact February fourteenth was associated with love long before Valentine lived. The holiday can be traced back to pagan Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Roman festivities were, well, somewhat raucous, and as Christianity spread the new religion attempted to ban pagan traditions. Many think Pope Gelasious declared February fourteenth Saint Valentine\u2019s Day as a way to Christianize the older rites. He succeeded for the most part, but elements of the old beliefs persisted and worked their way into the holiday. For instance, it was believed birds began their mating season on the fourteen of February. You can see remnants of this belief today\u2014doves are still associated with love. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"valentinesWhen Did People Start Sending Valentine\u2019s Day Cards?<\/h2>\n

The practice of celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day with cards began during the seventeenth century. Mass production of Valentine\u2019s Day cards popularized the custom in the 1840s. today, Americans send 141 million Valentine\u2019s Day cards a day. <\/span><\/p>\n

The oldest known valentine in existence was written in 1415. The Valentine was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife. It\u2019s one of the most poignant stories in the history of Valentine\u2019s Day; Charles was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time, having lost the decidedly unromantic Battle of Agincourt. <\/span><\/p>\n

Where Do People Celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day?<\/h2>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day is a popular holiday in the United States, but it\u2019s also celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and Australia. In Latin American countries the day is called el dia de los enamorados (the day of lovers) or Dia del amor y la Amistad (the day of love and friendship).<\/span><\/p>\n

In Japan, it\u2019s the ladies who give candy and chocolate to men on Valentine\u2019s Day. Tradition has it that the quality of the candy indicates the depth of the lady\u2019s feelings. On March 14<\/span>th<\/span>, or White Day, the gentlemen return the favor with gifts of cookies, white chocolate, and jewelry. <\/span><\/p>\n

How Much Money is Spent on Valentine\u2019s Day?<\/h2>\n

Love is big business! With over half of Americans celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day, we spend about $18.2 billion every year to express our feelings. Of that amount, approximately 1.7 is spent on candy. <\/span><\/p>\n

Who Get the Most Valentine\u2019s Day Cards?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not a contest, of course, but if it were, teachers win the gold for most Valentine\u2019s Day cards received. After teachers, children, mothers and wives get the most cards, but coworkers, friends, and even pets receive valentines. Eighty-five percent of card-givers are women.<\/span><\/p>\n

While it started as a romantic holiday, children have embraced Valentine\u2019s Day as a time to give and receive love. Classrooms have Valentine\u2019s Day parties, cards and candy (arguably more important if you\u2019re a kid) are exchanged, and everyone feels special and loved. You can get into the spirit of the day by slipping one of the fourteen personalized love notes in our <\/span>My Little Lovebug<\/span><\/a> collection in your child\u2019s lunchbox. After all, don\u2019t you want to be part of the history of Valentine\u2019s Day?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is Valentine\u2019s Day? Valentine\u2019s Day occurs on the fourteenth of February. Originally a Catholic saint\u2019s day, Valentine\u2019s Day evolved over the years. Today it\u2019s a day devoted to love and romance. Every year, millions of people across the globe exchange Valentine\u2019s Day cards, chocolates, and roses. Restaurants fill with couples old and young, and love, as they say, is in the air. The history of Valentine\u2019s Day is both fascinating and sometimes frustratingly vague. <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":892,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe History of Valentine's Day | I See Me!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is Valentine's Day all about, and how did it get started? 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