Valentine’s Day is celebrated every February 14 as couples across the globe honor their spouses, partners and sweethearts. Hundreds of years of traditions and customs have made it into the holiday that we observe today. Here are nine interesting facts about the holiday dedicated to romance and love.
Origins to a Bloody Pagan Festival
History of Valentine's Day
Some trace Valentine’s Day origins to a Christian effort to replace a pagan fertility festival that has been dated as far back as the 6th century B.C. During the festival of Lupercalia, Roman priests would sacrifice goats and dogs and use their blood-soaked hides to slap women on the streets, as a fertility blessing. According to legend, women would later put their names in an urn and be selected to be paired with a man for a year.
Letters Addressed to 'Juliet'
Every year, thousands of romantics send letters addressed to Verona, Italy to “Juliet,” the subject of the timeless romantic tragedy, “Romeo and Juliet.” The city marks the location of the Shakespearean tale, and the letters that reach the city are dutifully answered by a team of volunteers from the Juliet Club. Each year, on Valentine's Day, the club awards the "Cara Giulietta" ("Dear Juliet") prize to the author of the most touching love letter.
Box of Chocolates
The Valentine’s Day tradition of giving a box of candy was started in the 19th century by Richard Cadbury, a scion of a British chocolate manufacturing family. With a new technique recently established at the company to create more varieties of chocolate, Cadbury pounced on the opportunity to sell the chocolates as part of the beloved holiday.
First Valentine Was Written From a Prison
7 Things You Didn't Know About Valentine's Day
History’s first valentine was written in perhaps one of the most unromantic places conceivable: a prison. Charles, Duke of Orleans wrote the love letter to his second wife at the age of 21 while captured at the Battle of Agincourt. As a prisoner for more than 20 years, he would never see his valentine’s reaction to the poem he penned to her in the early 15th century.
‘Vinegar Valentines’ Discouraged Suitors
During the Victoria Era, those who didn’t want the attention of certain suitors would anonymously send “vinegar valentines." These cards, also called penny dreadfuls, were the antithesis of customary valentines, comically insulting and rejecting unwanted admirers. They were later used to target suffragettes in the late 19th and early 20th century.
‘Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve’
The term “wearing your heart on your sleeve” may have origins in picking a valentine. Smithsonian reports that during the Middle Ages, men would draw the names of women who they would be coupled with for the upcoming year while attending a Roman festival honoring Juno. After choosing, the men wore the names on their sleeves to show their bond during the festivities.
‘Sweethearts’ Candies Started Out as Lozenges
The iconic chalky heart-shaped candies that have been passed out lovingly every Valentine’s Day started out as lozenges. According to the Food Business News, pharmacist and inventor Oliver Chase created a machine that would quickly create the lozenges before switching to using the machine to create candy—later known as Necco Wafers.
Chase’s brother came up with the idea to print messages on the candy in 1866, and the candies got their heart shape in 1901, appealing specifically to Valentine’s Day sweethearts.
Cupid Began as a Greek God
The chubby baby with wings and a bow and arrow that we call Cupid has been associated with Valentine’s Day for centuries. However, before he was renamed Cupid, he was known to the ancient Greeks as Eros, the god of love. Eros, the son of Greek goddess Aphrodite, would use two sets of arrows—one for love and another for hate—to play with the emotions of his targets. It wasn’t until stories of his mischief were told by Romans that he adopted the childlike appearance that we recognize today.
How ‘X’ Came to Mean ‘Kiss’
The idea of using a kiss to sign off on valentines also has a long history, according to the Washington Post. The use of “X” came to represent Christianity, or the cross, in the Middle Ages. During the same time, the symbol was used to sign off on documents. After marking with an X, the writer would often kiss the mark as a sign of their oath. As the gesture grew among kings and commoners to certify books, letters and paperwork, these records were described as having been “sealed with a kiss.”
Valentine's Day 1929 marks the most infamous gangster mass murder in history, when mobsters Al Capone, "Bugs" Moran, and others fought for their share of the profits from illegal activity in Chicago.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Introduction
As an expert and enthusiast, I have access to a vast amount of information on various topics, including Valentine's Day. I can provide you with interesting facts and insights about the holiday. Let's dive into the concepts mentioned in this article.
Origins of Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day has its origins in ancient Roman traditions and a Christian effort to replace a pagan fertility festival. The festival of Lupercalia, which dates back to the 6th century B.C., involved Roman priests sacrificing goats and dogs and using their blood-soaked hides to slap women on the streets as a fertility blessing. Legend has it that women would later put their names in an urn and be selected to be paired with a man for a year.
Letters Addressed to 'Juliet'
Every year, thousands of romantics send letters addressed to Verona, Italy, to "Juliet," the subject of the timeless romantic tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet." Verona is the city where the Shakespearean tale takes place. The letters that reach Verona are answered by a team of volunteers from the Juliet Club. On Valentine's Day, the club awards the "Cara Giulietta" ("Dear Juliet") prize to the author of the most touching love letter .
Box of Chocolates
The tradition of giving a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day started in the 19th century. Richard Cadbury, a member of a British chocolate manufacturing family, took advantage of a new chocolate-making technique to create more varieties of chocolate. He saw an opportunity to sell chocolates as part of the beloved holiday, and thus the tradition of giving chocolate on Valentine's Day was born.
First Valentine Written From a Prison
The first valentine in history was written in a rather unromantic place: a prison. Charles, Duke of Orleans, wrote a love letter to his second wife while captured at the Battle of Agincourt in the early 15th century. As a prisoner for more than 20 years, he would never see his valentine's reaction to the poem he penned.
'Vinegar Valentines'
During the Victorian Era, those who didn't want the attention of certain suitors would anonymously send "vinegar valentines." These cards, also known as penny dreadfuls, were the opposite of customary valentines. They were comically insulting and rejecting unwanted admirers. Later, vinegar valentines were also used to target suffragettes in the late 19th and early 20th century.
'Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve'
The phrase "wearing your heart on your sleeve" may have origins in picking a valentine during Roman festivals honoring Juno in the Middle Ages. Men would draw the names of women they would be coupled with for the upcoming year. After choosing, the men would wear the names on their sleeves to show their bond during the festivities.
'Sweethearts' Candies
The iconic heart-shaped candies passed out on Valentine's Day, known as "Sweethearts," started out as lozenges. Oliver Chase, a pharmacist and inventor, created a machine that quickly produced the lozenges. In 1866, Chase's brother came up with the idea to print messages on the candy. The candies eventually took on their heart shape in 1901, becoming a popular choice for Valentine's Day sweethearts.
Cupid, the Greek God of Love
The chubby baby with wings and a bow and arrow that we call Cupid has been associated with Valentine's Day for centuries. However, before being renamed Cupid, he was known to the ancient Greeks as Eros, the god of love. Eros, the son of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, would use arrows to play with the emotions of his targets. The childlike appearance of Cupid that we recognize today originated from stories told by Romans.
The 'X' Symbolizing a Kiss
The use of "X" to represent a kiss has a long history. In the Middle Ages, the symbol "X" came to represent Christianity, or the cross. During the same time, it was also used to sign off on documents. After marking with an "X," the writer would often kiss the mark as a sign of their oath. Over time, the gesture of sealing documents with a kiss grew, and the records were described as being "sealed with a kiss".
I hope you find these facts about Valentine's Day interesting! Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.
