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The origin of Valentine's Day varies, and as bizarre as the stories seem, they've left us with traditions we think of as totally normal. Here’s some history, love songs and fun facts to inspire you with a new way to say “I love you” or justify why a lashing means love.
Here’s what’s in store for you:
Little bit-o-lovin’ history
Lash out in February to show someone you care
Third or 4th century B.C. pagan festivals of purification were celebrated in ancient Rome in mid-February, as well as a Fertility Festival, celebrating a young man's rite of passage, complete with animal sacrifices and fertility rituals (good times).
February 13 was dedicated to peace, love and household goods (weird mix, no?). February 14 was called Lupercalia, after Juno-Lupa, the She-Wolf. Vestal Virgins would offer holy salt cakes and priests would sacrifice a dog and a goat (if you think this is sounding weird, keep reading), smearing the animal blood onto the foreheads of youths of noble birth who, clad only in a goatskin thong, later led a band of revelers in such antics as whipping fields of crops and bystanders with a goatskin strip (a februa). (You can’t make this stuff up).
Women gently lashed (isn’t gently lashed an oxymoron?) in the februa fashion were thought to become fertile, even if they were barren. The act of such lashings was known as februatio (Latin for “to purify”) and how February got its name.
February 15 was dedicated to Juno Februata, the Roman goddess of Women and Marriage. Names of willing young women were placed in an urn and randomly drawn by young, unmarried men. The young men and maidens were matched and considered partners during the coming year. Although such matches were generally for sexual gratification (they were Roman after all), it was not unusual for the pairings to eventually end in marriage.
Out with the maidens, in with the saints
Now you can just hear the needle scratch across the record as the Church brought the whole fertility-festival-love-matching-lashing thing to a screeching halt. In A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius outlawed the Lupercian Festivals, but cleverly retained the Juno Februata lottery of pairing young men and women. (It sounds good, but it’s totally different. Read on.)
The drawing of saints' names were substituted for the names of unmarried girls, however. During the following year, the young men and women were supposed to emulate the life of the saint they drew. It took time for this new tradition to garner popularity (shocking), but eventually more and more Romans relinquished the Lupercian ceremonies.
Needless to say, young Roman males hoping to meet potential mates were not totally satisfied with having a lottery of saints' names instead of a hot maiden, so they instituted their own custom of offering women whom they admired and wished to court handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. (Now it’s sounding familiar.)
By the 14th Century, the Church reverted back to the use of girls' names and ditched the saints (whew!). Eventually, the Church looked for a suitable Patron Saint of Love to take the place of the heathen pagan gods. They found an appropriate choice in St. Valentine.
Courting the English
The names of English maidens and bachelors were put into boxes and drawn out in pairs, much like the ancient custom. Gifts were exchanged and the girl became the man's sweetheart for a year. In turn, he wore her name on his sleeve and was bound by duty to attend and protect her (hence the phrase, "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve"). This old custom of drawing names was considered a good omen for love and often foretold a wedding. (Too bad they couldn’t get invitations from Spiffy Press)
In 1537, King Henry VIII declared, by Royal Charter, that England would celebrate February 14 as “Saint Valentine’s Day,” and there you have it!
The holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common. Hand-made 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 until the 1850s, when Esther A. Howland, a Mount Holyoke graduate and native of Worcester, Mass., began mass-producing them. Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are Valentines. See below for more consumer trivia of our beloved holiday.
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Valentine’s Day trivia and trends
- 1 billion – Valentine cards exchanged each year
- 83% – Valentine cards purchased by women
- 17% – Valentine cards purchased by men (some men buy two cards, an amusing one and the obligatory romantic one, which they believe is expected of them)
- 50% – Consumers who prefer to receive a humorous Valentine
- 31% – Consumers who prefer to receive a romantic greeting
- 8% – Consumers who prefer a more risque card
- 36% – Women who prefer to receive a romantic Valentine
- 26% – Men who prefer to receive a romantic Valentine
- 13% – Men who prefer a sexy Valentine (compared to 3.5% of women)
- 32% – Annual floral sales generated by Valentine's Day
- 73% – Men who send flowers on Valentine's Day (compared to 27% of women)
- 60% – American roses produced in California, but the vast majority sold on Valentine's Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America
- 110 million – Roses (majority of them being red) will be sold within a three-day period during Valentine's Day celebrations
- 36% – Men who put off shopping until the day before Valentine’s Day
- 28% – Women who put off shopping until the day before Valentine’s Day
- $95 – Average amount men spend on Valentine's Day gifts
- 3% – Pet owners who give a Valentine's Day gift to their pet
- Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone on February 14, 1876
- In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations to signify “You unlock my heart!”
- In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him.
- A love seat was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. It evolved to two sections, often in an S-shape, so a couple could sit together, but not too closely!
- Cupid often appears on Valentine cards because he is the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty.
- The first true Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife, imprisoned in the Tower of London. (Wonder if he was humming one of the tunes below)
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Top 20 Love Songs
You know you’ll be whistling along as you read through this list.
1. Can you feel the love tonight – Elton John
2. You are the sunshine of my life – Stevie Wonder
3. Just the way you are – Billy Joel
4. Up where we belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
5. This will be – Natalie Cole
6. All my life – Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
7. The long and winding road – The Beatles
8. In your eyes – Peter Gabriel
9. The power of love – Huey Lewis and the News
10. You've got a friend – James Taylor
11. You're the inspiration – Chicago
12. Wind beneath my wings – Bette Midler
13. You are so beautiful – Joe Cocker
14. Solid – Ashford & Simpson
15. Wonderful tonight – Eric Clapton
16. Tonight, i celebrate my love – Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson
17. Whenever i call you friend – Stevie Nicks & Kenny Loggins
18. Here, there, and everywhere – The Beatles
19. True colors – Cyndi Lauper
20. How sweet it is – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrel
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Say “I Love You” in 33 different languages
Looks like the Japanese win with 12 ways to say “I Love You”
Bulgarian: Obicham te
Burmese: chit pa de
Cambodian: Bon sro lanh oon
Cambodian: kh_nhaum soro_lahn nhee_ah
Canadian French: Sh'teme
Cantonese: Moi oiy neya
Cantonese: Ngo oi ney
Croatian: LJUBim te
Danish: Jeg elsker dig
Dutch: Ik hou van jou
Dutch: Ik ben verliefd op je
Filipino: Mahal ka ta
Filipino: Iniibig Kita
Finnish: Mina" rakastan sinua
French: Je t'aime
French: Je t'adore
Gaelic: Ta gra agam ort
German: Ich liebe Dich
Greek: s'ayapo
Greek (old): (Ego) philo su
Hungarian: Szeretlek
Hungarian: Szeretlek te'ged
Indonesian: Saya cinta padamu
Indonesian: Saya cinta kamu
Indonesian: Saya kasih saudari
Iranian: Mahn doostaht doh-rahm
Irish: taim i' ngra leat
Italian: ti amo
Italian: ti voglio bene
Japanese: Kimi o ai shiteru
Japanese: Aishiteru
Japanese: Chuu shiteyo
Japanese: Ora omee no koto ga suki da
Japanese: Ore wa omae ga suki da
Japanese: Suitonnen
Japanese: Sukiyanen
Japanese: Sukiyo
Japanese: Watashi Wa Anata Ga Suki Desu
Japanese: Watashi Wa Anata Wo Aishithe Imasu
Japanese: Watakushi-wa anata-wo ai shimasu
Japanese: Suki desu
Romanian: Te iu besc
Romanian: Te Ador
Russian: Ya vas liubliu
Russian: Ya tebya liubliu
Russian: Ya polubeel s'tebya
Russian: Ya Tibieh Lublue
Scot Gaelic: Tha gra\dh agam ort
Serbian: ljubim te
Spanish: Te quiero
Spanish: Te amo
Swedish: Jag a"lskar dig
Swiss-German: Ch'ha di ga"rn
Thai: Khao Raak Thoe
Thai: Phom Rak Khun
Vietnamese: Em ye^u anh
Vietnamese: Toi yeu em
Vietnamese: Anh ye^u em
Welsh: 'Rwy'n dy garu di.
Welsh: Yr wyf i yn dy garu di (chwi)
Yiddish: Ich libe dich
Yiddish: Ich han dich lib
Yiddish: Ikh Hob Dikh Lib
Yugoslavian: Ya te volim
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Sites we love: http://www.novareinna.com/festive/valentine.html, http://www.soundexp.com/top20.html, http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/Saint-Valentine.aspx, http://www.infoplease.com/spot/valentinesdayhistory.html, http://wilstar.com/holidays/valentn.htm
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