These days
Valentine’s Day, on the 14 February, is unfortunately viewed as a
commercial occurrence, where we are expected to make someone feel good/proclaim
our love by sending an anonymous card, poem, flowers or large consignment of
chocolates. This results in the fact that people in the western world often
ignore Valentine’s Day because of its commercialism or due to a lack of
motivation or perhaps even embarrassment to showing our true feelings.
There are differing stories as to how
the day actually came about, but some say the day came about because of St.
Valentine, a Roman, who was martyred because he refused to give up
Christianity. It is said that during his time in jail he miraculously restored
the sight of the jailor’s daughter. On the day of his execution he left a
farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, signing it
‘from your Valentine’.
Another story says it stems from the
action of the bishop, Valentine who married young soldiers and their ladies in
secret. This was something that had been banned by the Roman Emperor Claudius
II, who had forbidden marriage between potential soldiers and their lovers as
he felt that the young men didn’t make good soldiers once they had married.
Because of his actions Valentine was captured, refused to convert to the way of
the Roman Gods, and was executed. Valentine became the patron saint of an
annual festival, where young Romans offered women they admired, and wished
to court, handwritten greetings of affection each year on February 14. The
cards took on the name of ‘Valentine’s cards’.
One of the earliest Valentine’s cards
sent on record was in 1415, by Charles Duke of Orleans, to his wife whilst he
was a prisoner in the Tower of London. This card can be seen in the British
Museum
So go on, having learnt a little history of the romance behind Valentine’s Day, be a devil: send a card or splash out on one of those enormous heart-shaped chintzy boxes of chocolates and make someone happy. After all what have you got to loose? This is the one time in the year where if you get it wrong you can remain anonymous!
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
