Valentine’s Day is all about hearts, candy, and love notes…but why? First let’s look at the origins of the name itself. There are three different saints named St. Valentine that the Catholic church recognizes, all whom are martyred and all with different and intertwining stories that could have been the origin of St. Valentine’s Day.
The most likely was the story of the priest, Saint Valentine of Rome. Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men, after he decided that single men made better soldiers than they did “family men”. Valentine defied the decree and continued to perform marriages for the young lovers…until he was unfortunately discovered. They believe he died or was buried on February 14. Centuries later, Pope Gelasius officially declared the 14th St. Valentine’s Day.
The idea of sending valentines started to become popular during the Middle Ages with the oldest valentine dating back to the 15th century which was written by Charles, Duke of Orléans. He was imprisoned after his defeat at the Battle of Agincourt, and his note to his wife translated to “I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine.” Shakespeare even linked love and St. Valentine’s Day in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
As for Cupid, according to mythology, he was born of Venus, the goddess of love, and wields a bow and arrow in which to inflict love and passion on his victims. He has always been associated with romance because of this, and eventually made his way onto commercially printed Valentine’s cards in the mid-19th century.
And, in regards to your love nest—if you’ve outgrown it or need another one, I’ll work with Cupid to find the perfect one for your next Valentine’s Day!
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