Valentine’s Day or St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, but I want to talk more specifically about how it is celebrated in the United States.
Valentine’s Day has its origins in the middle ages. It is said to honor Saint Valentine – a martyr from early Rome. The problem is, there are actually several Saint Valentines so the story is a bit of a mixture of several personalities. So the origin of Valentine’s day is based more on tradition and legend than solid facts. What we do know is that St. Valentine helped young couples get married in the eyes of God. The Roman ruler at the time did not want his soldiers to get married or have family ties since that was a distraction. Nevertheless, they often fell in love and St. Valentine helped them to make their vows official in the sight of the Lord. It was said that St. Valentine was also put in prison for quite some time. During that time, he performed a miracle and the daughter of his captor was healed from her blindness. The Roman ruler ordered his execution, but before he was taken away St. Valentine left a letter to the young girl. It was signed “from your Valentine” which has become a phrase often repeated on cards on this holiday even today.
Growing up in the United States, Valentine’s Day was a day that school children exchanged cards with each other. I especially remember getting the list of the names of my classmates and spending hours trying to decide which card to give to each of my classmates. Sometimes we would even include small gifts like a piece of candy, a sticker, or a pencil. This was (and still often is) one of the “official” party days for public schools. After exchanging cards, our teacher (and our parents) would have a fun celebration for us with games and often snacks.
Valentine’s Day is usually decorated with many shades of red or pink. Hearts are everywhere! You might also see cupids or angels in the decorations as well. Cupid was known as a little angel that might shoot you with his special arrow. If you got shot by cupid’s bow, you would fall in love with the next person you met.
Adults also celebrate Valentine’s Day. This is a day that couples put a little more effort into their relationship. They might bring a traditional gift ( like jewelry, flower, or candy in heart-shaped boxes). They also might plan a special date like a meal at a nice restaurant. In the last few years, people who don’t have a special someone often have their own celebration so no one needs to feel left out.
The main tradition of Valentine’s Day is the cards. Special cards called Valentines are given out on this day. They are often signed “from your Valentine” or “be mine”. They may feature hearts and cupids, they may be silly, or they may have popular characters on them. Valentines come in all shapes and sizes and have been exchanged for hundreds of years.
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