History of the 'Hallmark' Holiday

Contrary to popular belief, Valentine's Day has not always been thought of as a "Hallmark" holiday. Today, valentine's cards, roses and chocolate boxes are the items that come to mind when thinking of the love holiday.

"I believe it is a commercial holiday. I normally just exchange cards. All I know is that there was a Saint named Valentine," said junior Lindsay Wallace.

No one really knows how Valentine's Day first began. There are two different ideas of how Feb. 14 became known as a day of love. In ancient Rome, women would write love letters called billets and leave them in an urn in which men would randomly draw. They would peruse the women who wrote the note that they selected.

On Feb. 14, they honored Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses and the goddess of women and marriage with a fertility celebration. The following day, they had a feast. The origination of using the phrase "birds and the bees" to refer to sex came from the Medieval European's belief that birds begin to mate on Feb. 14.

"I think St.Valentine's Day is about a saint who was martyred, but I don't know why," said senior Christina De La Torre. "Since there is so many negative things going on in the world I think it is good to have a day that recognizes showing affection."

Valentine's Day is supposedly named after Saint Valentine, a third century Roman priest who performed secret marriages. These marriages defied Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was thought to have sent the jailer's daughter a note signed "From Your Valentine" before he was executed on Feb. 14 in 270 A.D. This bittersweet story has evolved into the phrase that is still used today.

Cupid is one of the biggest symbols of Valentine's Day. He is a young child with wings that uses his bow and arrow to make people fall in love. To the Greeks, he was the son of Aphrodite, called Eros. The Romans thought him to be the son of Venus, the goddess of love.

The first written valentine's began in the 15th century. Charles, the Duke of Orleans, is thought to have created the first written valentine in 1415 when he was imprisoned. He passed the time by writing romantic verses to his wife.

In the 1840's Esther Howland created the first commercial American valentines. In her first year of business, she sold $5,000 worth in cards. Today, the number of Valentine's Day cards sold, 1 billion, is only second to Christmas cards. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all the cards. Besides the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

Roses have also become a traditional gift of the holiday. It is said that red roses were the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. The rose is the most popular flower to give as a romantic gesture. Throughout the world, the rose represents love. Even the color red is known to mean love. Besides the rose, many give the recipients' favorite flower. Some of the most common choices include tulips, lilies, daisies and carnations.

There are other options besides buying cards or making them out of construction paper. With today's current technology you can not only send cards through the mail, but also by the Internet and fax machine. Greeting cards are more than just pieces of paper. "Scratch -and -sniff" cards, cards that play romantic music and cards that allow you to record a personal message are now on the market.

Although ways of celebrating the holiday have changed over the years, the meaning behind it stays the same.