Be My Valentine
- Lifestyles
- Special Interest
Author: Britney B.
Released 14 February 2004
It's that time of year again for secret, or not so secret, declarations of love delivered in the form of a Valentine card, flowers, jewelry, chocolates or other gifts. Cynics would say these days Valentine's Day has become much too commercialized, conveniently slotted in for the retail trade as the biggest moneymaker between Christmas and Easter, and who can blame them for these views when the shop windows are a multitude of red and pink hearts, and enticements to spend money are everywhere. And if you don't have a special person to indulge at this time of year maybe you are going to feel quite forlorn.
So how did this whole business of sending Valentines begin? The celebration of St. Valentine's Day as a special day for lovers contains remnants of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. There are at least three saints named Valentine or Valentinus recognized by the Christian church. One legend has Valentine as a priest who served in Rome at the time of the Emperor Claudius. When the emperor decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he forbade marriage for young men destined for military action. Valentine didn't agree with this new law and continued to perform marriages for young couples in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Another story is that Valentine was sentenced to death by the Romans for attempting to help Christians escape from the terrible conditions in prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. While awaiting his sentence for whichever crime he committed, Valentine fell in love with his jailer's daughter, having cured her of blindness. Before his death it is alleged that he wrote her a letter that he signed, yes you've guessed it, "From Your Valentine". Obviously the truth behind these legends is hazy but the overall portrayal of Valentine is of a sympathetic, heroic and, most importantly, romantic figure. Certainly by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in Europe and February the month to celebrate love.
Evidently a Frenchman was one of the earliest senders of a valentine message when, imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, Charles Duke of Orleans sent several rhymed love letters to his wife in France. During the seventeenth century people made their own valentines using original verse or poems copied from booklets with appropriate verse. Symbolic figures and creatures featured on cards around this time. Cupid (or Eros in Greek mythology), the son of Venus Goddess of love, is a mischievous boy who would shoot both gods and humans with his arrows, causing them to fall in love. Turtle doves and lovebirds represented the fact that doves and pigeons mate for life and were therefore taken as symbols of fidelity. It was also thought that birds chose their mate for the year on February 14.
Oft have I heard both youth and virgin say
Birds choose their mates, and couples too, this day;
But by their flight I never can divine,
When I shall couple with my Valentine.
There were a number of customs surrounding February 14th. It was believed that a young girl would eventually marry the first eligible male she met on this day. If a girl was curious and brave enough she could conjure up the appearance of her future spouse by going to the graveyard on St. Valentine's Eve at midnight, recite a certain chant, and run around the church twelve times.
The first commercial valentine cards emerged around 1800 and were rather naïve, but by the 1830's and 1840's they contained tender and poetic messages. They were made of fine papers, decorated with satin, ribbon, or lace and decorated with doves, lovers' knots, bow and arrows, cupids, and bleeding hearts. Men usually sent them and examples of verses from this time were:
I love thee, Oh! I love thee
Dearer art thou than life.
I love thee, I love thee
Say, wilt thou be my wife?
or
This Valentine's Day, to the church let's away
No longer I'll wait, let us marry.
You promised, dear maid, that you would be mine,
If I, till today, would tarry.
Nowadays St. Valentines Day ranks second only to Christmas in the number of greeting cards sent. There has been a change from the heavy sentimentality of earlier days and cards are manufactured on an enormous scale and range from the sophisticated and romantic through the humorous to the downright crude and distasteful. So, if you're having difficulty finding the ideal card for that special person, why not design and make one yourself. Homemade cards show a degree of thoughtfulness and uniqueness that you just can't get from a shop bought one. Whether it's just a colored heart on a golden background, or embellished with lace and ribbon with your own composed verse, your card will be a one off original to delight and surprise the receiver. Give it a try and you'll be surprised at what you can create.