Happy Valentine's Day!
Growing up, Valentine’s Day was always extra special because
it is also my mother’s birthday. Yep, she’s a Valentine’s baby, so for me the
holiday is also about cake and presents. Who doesn’t love that?
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is big business. With over 1 billion
cards sent annually, it is the second most popular card-sending day (Christmas
is the most popular). Chocolate and flower sales also spike on this day.
But for the men and women affected by World War II,Valentine's Day was probably another difficult holiday to get through while separated by thousands of miles. In 1943, Life photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured a series of pictures
of farewells at Penn Station referred to as “True romance-the heartache of
wartime farewells.”
So when did Valentine’s Day begin? Apparently, no one is
really sure. Some accounts claim the holiday has Christian roots, while others
are adamant that pagan and Roman traditions are where it all started. The truth
is probably somewhere in the middle.
One story talks about a man named Valentine who defied
Claudius II’s edict prohibiting his soldiers to be married. Valentine performed
marriage ceremonies in secret, and when he was caught was executed. Another
story claims Valentine played an integral part in helping Christians escape
from Roman prisons. Then there’s the viewpoint that the Christians moved St.
Valentine’s feast day to February 14 in order to Christianize the festival of
Lupercalia. The festival was later outlawed. During the Middle Ages the concept
of romance was added to the day because it was believed that February 14th
was the beginning of the mating season for birds.
It wasn’t until the 1700s that Americans started to exchange
Valentine’s Day cards. Known as the Mother of the Valentine, Esther Howland began
to mass produce and sell cards around 1840. Her family owned a book and
stationery store in Worcester, MA. Previously Valentine’s Day cards were
imported from England, hence not affordable for many people. Esther created
dozens of samples made with lace paper and ribbons, hoping to secure at least
$200 in orders. Needless to say she was stunned when her brother returned with
over $5,000 in advance sales. Ultimately the family would do over $100,000 each
year, cementing Esther’s position in history.
How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?
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