How old is valentines day

In 15th-century France, 14 February became an annual feast day celebrating romantic love. Lavish banquets with singing and dancing were held to mark the occasion. While imprisoned in the Tower of London following the battle of Agincourt , the Duke of Orleans wrote to his wife:. These lines, found in a collection of nursery rhymes printed in , read:.

This featured the lines:. Initially these were handmade efforts, as pre-made cards were not yet available. Lovers would decorate paper with romantic symbols including flowers and love knots, often including puzzles and lines of poetry.

Those who were less inspired could buy volumes that offered guidance on selecting the appropriate words and images to woo their lover. These cards were then slipped secretly under a door, or tied to a door-knocker. It was in Georgian Britain that pre-printed cards first began to appear, though these were not yet as popular as they were eventually to become. Perhaps the oldest surviving example dates from this card, held at York Castle Museum, was sent by one Catherine Mossday to a Mr Brown of London.

It is decorated with flowers and images of Cupid, with a verse printed around the border reading:. The industrialisation of Britain in the early 19th-century brought with it rapid advances in printing and manufacturing technologies.

But we're sharing as much as we know about the topic, including the murky origin of Valentine's Day and its interesting history. Its backstory—though not confirmed—is actually quite dark and even a bit bloody. Strange traditions, pagan rituals, and grisly executions abound. If you're not faint of heart, though, you'll enjoy learning about everything we've compiled here.

Who knows? It might even inform your Valentine's Day wishes! The day is named, of course, for St. Valentine—we all know that by now. But why? Who is this mysterious Valentine? According to The New York Times , it's possible that the love-filled holiday is based on a combination of two men. It's believed that the Catholic Church may have established St. Valentine's Day in order to honor these men, who they believed to be martyrs. By this time Rome had become Christian and the Catholic Church was determined to stamp out any remaining paganism.

A pagan fertility ritual was held in February each year and the Pope abolished this festival and proclaimed 14 February Saint Valentine's Day, thus establishing this feast day on the Catholic Calendar of Saints. This was the beginning of the tradition of courtly love, a ritual of expressing love and admiration, usually in secret. This custom spread throughout Europe and stories grew about a High Court of Love where female judges would rule on issues related to love on 14 February each year.

Historians believe that these meetings were in fact gatherings where people read love poetry and played games of flirtation. The practice of sending love messages developed into people sending special cards expressing their affection. These cards were beautiful creations handmade by the sender and individually designed to show how much they loved the recipient. Cards would usually contain sentimental verse, proclaiming the beauty of the receiver and how much they were loved.

Saint Valentine's Day cards were decorated with pictures of cupid, hearts and flowers and trimmed with lace and ribbon. Valentine's Day with romance. As was the poetic tradition, Chaucer associated the occasion with a feast day. In "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St.

Valentine's Day are linked:. Over the centuries, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging handmade cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts eventually spread to the American colonies. The tradition of Valentine's cards did not become widespread in the United States, however, until the s, when Esther A.

Howland, a Mount Holyoke graduate and native of Worcester, Mass. Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. Updated February 8, Borgna Brunner. Pagan festivals, Christian saints, Chaucer's love birds, and the Greeting Card Association of America Roman Roots The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and further clouded by various fanciful legends.