Today we celebrate love and romance with everything from handwritten cards to beautiful jewelry. The boxes of chocolate that won’t see tomorrow and whispered I love you over romantic dinners. Celebrating love is the Valentine’s Day everyone knows and loves, but how did this holiday go from celebrations of purity and fertility to savoring the romantic gifts and acts of love we have today?
Ancient Romans were the first to celebrate. Saint Valentine represented, to many at the time, purity and fertility. Festivals were held every year in the early spring to marry off young couples, not the most romantic holiday. In fact, the romance would take another millennium to really take hold. The earliest valentine recorded was in 1382. A poem was written for King Richard II to celebrate his marriage. The celebration of Saint Valentine was mentioned in several poems and letters recovered from lovers and in Shakespearean plays.
During the turn of the 19th century, the Victorian era of romance and love culminated in these letters being written by the hundreds and sent out. In 1835, there were nearly 60,000 being sent out, despite the high postage cost. Not even five years later, the invention of postage stamps made them much more accessible, and almost half a million were being sent out annually. This rapidly growing holiday crossed the Atlantic, and in 1849 the first American celebration of Valentine’s day was recorded. The industrial revolution at the turn of the century encouraged romance and family. These were quickly being commodified and celebrated with this holiday.
With the booming new economy, Valentine’s cards and flowers were supplemented with candies and jewelry. Valentine’s day only grew in a nation that was in love with romance, quickly becoming not only one of the most popular holidays in America but one of the most profitable. Who doesn’t want to snuggle with a box of your favorite chocolate and smell the fresh roses?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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