Who Really Was St. Valentine?
February 14, 2008
Since today is Valentine's Day, I thought I would share a little background into the history of this cultural tradition. I was treated yesterday to a presentation about St. Valentine and the development of the holiday. She was a dear friend and shared her research with me. I am excerptng from the her notes.
There is quite a bit of evidence that St. Valentine was a real person. Archeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church, both dedicated to him. There is even a wooden portrait of him, engraved with the message that Valentine was martyred during the reign of Claudius II, approximately 269 A.D.
Prior to his beheading and while he was in prison, legend says that Valentine sent a farewell note to Julia, the jailor's daughter, whose sight he had supposedly restored. The note was signed, "From your Valentine."
By the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. February 14 became Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. Later, in France and England, legend has it that people noticed that February 14 was the beginning of the mating season for birds and decided that Valentine's Day should be a day for romance. (Really?)
The oldest valentine still in existence today is a poem written in 1415 A.D. by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife when he was a prisoner in the Tower of London.
By the 17th century, Valentine's Day was widely celebrated in England, and in the 18th century, people were exchanging handwritten notes. As printing technology improved, printed cards were exchanged. In America around 1840, a woman named Esther Howland began to make mass produced valentine cards.
Today, approximately one billion valentines are sent each year. Here's hoping you received your share!
Since today is Valentine's Day, I thought I would share a little background into the history of this cultural tradition. I was treated yesterday to a presentation about St. Valentine and the development of the holiday. She was a dear friend and shared her research with me. I am excerptng from the her notes.
There is quite a bit of evidence that St. Valentine was a real person. Archeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church, both dedicated to him. There is even a wooden portrait of him, engraved with the message that Valentine was martyred during the reign of Claudius II, approximately 269 A.D.
Prior to his beheading and while he was in prison, legend says that Valentine sent a farewell note to Julia, the jailor's daughter, whose sight he had supposedly restored. The note was signed, "From your Valentine."
By the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. February 14 became Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. Later, in France and England, legend has it that people noticed that February 14 was the beginning of the mating season for birds and decided that Valentine's Day should be a day for romance. (Really?)
The oldest valentine still in existence today is a poem written in 1415 A.D. by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife when he was a prisoner in the Tower of London.
By the 17th century, Valentine's Day was widely celebrated in England, and in the 18th century, people were exchanging handwritten notes. As printing technology improved, printed cards were exchanged. In America around 1840, a woman named Esther Howland began to make mass produced valentine cards.
Today, approximately one billion valentines are sent each year. Here's hoping you received your share!
posted by shirley harry at 10:55 AM
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