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1. The Real Saint Valentine Is Shrouded In Mystery

Though he lived in the third century AD, nearly nothing is known about this saint or the life he led. It isn't even clear what number of holy men named Valentine there have been, or which one is honored on Valentine's Day.

Regardless, bits and items in regards to the saint have made it into the realm of legends. The consensus is that he was a priest who broke the law doing what he believed in. Some stories say he carried out marriages between soldiers and their beloveds. In Rome throughout that time, this was in opposition to the law. Soldiers were not allowed to marry. When Valentine was caught, he was imprisoned and put to death for defying Roman rules.

Another story additionally involves his imprisonment, but this time for working towards his faith and refusing to worship the emperor. While in jail, he became friends with the jailer's daughter. He prayed for her, and she or he was healed of her maladies. On the night of his execution, Valentine gave his friend a note to comfort her. It read, quite simply, "From Your Valentine."

2. Matchmaking Was An Historical Roman Tradition That Preceded Valentine's Day

Lupercalia was a festival that took place annually in ancient Rome between the 13th and 15th of February. Its function was to cleanse and protect the community. Among the festival traditions had been meant to eliminate evil spirits and bless crops.

There was also a matchmaking part to the festivities. Women put their names in an urn. Men picked names from the urn. The couples formed by this lottery system had been expected to remain together for a year. Surprisingly, many of these random matches resulted in marriages.

Centuries later, this ancient celebration merged with the newer tradition of honoring Saint Valentine on February 14. The newer vacation was a lot more subdued, however some of the festival's romantic features carried forward.

3. Valentine Cards Became All The Rage In Victorian England

Within the Center Ages, noblemen wrote (or hired others to write for them) impassioned love notes to their expensive ones. But it wasn't till the Victorian Era in the mid-1800s that sending valentine cards grew to become a preferred custom.

First it was handmade cards embellished with lace and ribbon. These have been fancy cards with intricate designs that included cutouts and pop-ups. The tradition was popularized in England and made its way to the U.S. several decades later.

With advances in printing technology, cards began to be mass-produced. Right now 180 million valentine cards are exchanged every year in the U.S. alone. Designs proceed to evolve, but coronary heart and floral themes remain as fashionable as they had been in Victorian times.

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