Valentine’s Day is celebrated across the world on 14th February each year. What is the reason this day is considered to be the most loved day for couples and how significant is it – read on to find out!
What’s the reason Valentine’s Day cards so popular?
The red roses fade and die as chocolates go to waste and vouchers quickly redeemed and forgotten. The only real alternative is a gorgeous Valentine’s Day card that expresses affection and a sense of constancy.
Receiving a greeting card creates an emotional bond, and cards often become precious memories that are handed across generations, often depicting relationships between those who are deceased.
There is a tradition that says that true romantics never sign the cards believing that the recipient will know the source of the card. Postmarks are an indication, but certain card senders test the loyalty of their love ones by travelling miles from home, even overseas, to send their message.
Did you know? You can buy funny Valentines cards over at allthingsbanter.com
What is the History of Valentine’s Day
The origins of early spring romance dates far back to prehistoric times, when pagan celebrations were celebrated that celebrated the blooming of romance. A fertility festival was observed on February 15th for this was the day when birds were believed to begin their mating.
The custom of sending love tokens and messages on 14th February has been around for hundreds of years dating back to the earliest Valentine’s cards dating back to the 15th century. In 2019 , the World’s longest recognized Valentine’s Card was sold at auction for $7,200, which demonstrates the high demand for this romantic custom. Early Valentines were often in the form of poems or notes that were written in hand, but in the 1800s, due to the availability of paper at a low cost and development of new technology for printing Valentine’s Day cards became open to all, in addition to artists and poets.
However, it was those cruel Roman Emperors, who persecuted Christians as well as Christians, who we have to be grateful for the modern Valentines. One in particular, referred to by the name of Claudius the Cruel (actually Claudius II) forbade soldiers to marry, lest during campaigns they pined for their families and wives. A Christian priest called Valentinus refused to follow the rules and carried out secret wedding ceremonies for which, when the emperor found his out about it, he was thrown into prison. While in prison, he was able to meet (and most likely loved) the daughter who was blind of his jailer; and some accounts say his faith cured her of the ailment. On the eve of his execution, he left her a farewell note and signed it with the words ‘from your valentine’. The date? February 14th of course!
The pagan celebration of Lupercalia was declared by a Christian priest to be an official Feast of St Valentine; and thus started a custom that has now become distinctly British…the giving of Valentine cards. It was however, the love of all loved ones, Henry VIII, who officially declared the day through the Royal Charter of 1537 established that February 14th was St Valentine’s Day. Other nations do celebrate the day, but they do not have the enthusiasm and passion that typifies the Britons.
While the French aren’t enthusiastic regarding the holiday However, the first Valentine message found inside the British Museum was sent in 1450 by an French nobleman. Charles, Duke of Orleans was an “guest” to the British monarchy in the tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt and he sent the Valentine to his wife. It wasn’t until the 1800s that the sending of fancy printed cards became popular.
If you love me, you’ll love me…
The British are among the most romantic in the world in the sense that they are among the most romantic in the case of sending Valentine’s day cards. According to the annual report on market trends conducted by the Greeting Card Association PS47m was used to purchase Valentine’s Day cards in 2022.
Traditionally many lovers travelled to The Wiltshire community of Lover to write cards to demonstrate their commitment to their loved ones, and even to confuse the person they love. To meet the demand, following the closure at the regional PO the village has an unofficial Post Office each year prior to the week leading until Valentines to make sure that the Lover postmark is preserved.
The 18th Century an entrepreneur poet released “The Young Man’s Valentine Writer’, a series of verses covering every emotion that could help a the tongue-tied young man express their feelings; it was a huge success and sold out like hot cakes. The same books came out which included poems for women as well as poems in which they give the opportunity to criticize a lustful suitor.
Today, the majority of people prefer to send a card. Greeting cards have played a greater role in British exchange since the initial Christmas card delivered on 1843 from Sir Henry Cole. The use of cards in the UK increased dramatically during the 20th century, and cards played an especially important role in the communication between the two world wars. Post-war cards for sending greeting cards has become a popular method to commemorate important occasions, express the condolences and express your thoughts about You. Research conducted during 2017 from Royal Mail demonstrated the impact of receiving a card with a message. We all remember getting our first Valentine’s Day card and many have kept them!
Today , Valentine’s day cards are given to family members in their lists, particularly in cases where they believe they’re in need of some romance in their lives.
Royal Romance
Some of the best Valentine card writers was Queen Victoria who was a fan of sending perfumed notes to Royal assistants on February 14th. watching their reactions when the card arrived in the midst of her lengthy rain. there was a boom in cards for the leap year, as women were traditionally allowed to pop the question. Hilarious cards were produced, many showing large women in hot pursuit of small men. However, although the customer remains, the sending of leap year cards was a short-lived phenomenon.