As Valentine’s Day approaches, millions of Americans are
planning romantic dinners and surprises, maybe even proposals. Children are
picking out just the right Valentine’s cards for their friends. Some adults
also use this day to celebrate friendships. How did this day, February 14, grow
to such significance in our culture? Here are 7 super interesting facts about Valentine’s
Day.
1. The Origins of Valentine's Day
The origins of this holiday date back before the life of
St. Valentine. In fact, scholars believe it dates back 27 centuries to the
Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, in which Romans were celebrating either
Lupa, the mother of the founders of Rome, or Faunus, the fertility god. This
festival began with animal sacrifice. Then men would run through the streets
with strips of the animal hide, lashing women to bestow upon them fertility for
the coming year. Thankfully, current Valentine’s Day traditions bear little
resemblance to this early festival.
2. Who was St. Valentine?
The Catholic saint lived so long
ago that there is some confusion about the historical St. Valentine, and it is
possible that the holiday’s namesake is two separate men. The first was a Roman
priest and doctor who was martyred in Rome around 270. He may also have been
the bishop of Terni who was martyred in Rome. Some scholars even believe he was
the same person. Either way, he is said to have married Christian lovers during
the time of the persecution of Christians in Rome and is the patron saint of
lovers, people with epilepsy, and beekeepers.
3. Cupid, a Symbol of Love
Cupid, the cherub with the bow and arrow who brings lovers
together, started out as a Greek god. Eros, son of Aphrodite and Ares, helped the goddess of love interfere in the love life of
mortals. For 300 years, artists depicted him as a young heartthrob who grew so
powerful that people feared his influence. Later stories emphasized that he was
a servant of his mother and he came to be seen more as a child than an adult.
The Romans adopted the Greek collection of gods and gave Cupid his name. We still occasionally see images of him as a young man, but more often
these days we see a mischievous baby helping people fall in love.
4. Why Do We Celebrate on February 14th?
February 14 was declared St. Valentine’s Day in the fifth
century, but it was not associated with love until the 1380s. Two poets,
Geoffrey Chaucer of England and Oton III de Granson of France wrote about
February 14 as a holiday for love. Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowls depicts
a day that birds gather to choose their mates, supervised by nature. Granson
wrote about Valentine’s Day as a day for human lovers to pledge their love to
one another. Since then, Valentine’s Day has been a day set aside for people to
celebrate love.
5. Valentine's Day Cards
The earliest recorded valentine was a love poem by a French duke
named Charles to his wife in 1415. At the time, he was imprisoned in the Tower
of London. He wrote, “I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine.” The
tradition of sending Valentine’s cards and letters gained popularity in the
1600’s, but mass-produced Valentine’s cards did not emerge until the 1840s. Ester
A. Howland marketed her elaborately decorated cards in the United States and
launched a multi-million dollar industry.
6. Valentine's Day Candy
One of the most iconic symbols of Valentine’s Day is the candy
hearts or conversation hearts as they have come to be known. Boston pharmacist
Charles Oliver invented a machine that could produce throat lozenges but he
soon changed his focus and founded the New England Confectionary Company or
Necco. His brother realized they could stamp messages on the Necco wafers in
1866. Because they were much bigger than the candy hearts we buy today, the
messages could be much longer, such as, “How long shall I have to wait? Please
be considerate.” Now, Necco produces more than 8 billion candy hearts per year,
almost 100,000 pounds per day all year long.
7. Valentine's Day Chocolate
We absolutely cannot forget the chocolate, especially
those heart-shaped boxes that line grocery-store displays after New Year’s. Europeans
had their first taste of chocolate, in the form of drinking chocolate, in the
1500’s, thanks to Spanish traders who brought it to the court of Spain. For
hundreds of years, until the invention of the cocoa press in 1828, chocolate
was too expensive for the average person. This press allowed the creation of cocoa
powder and the mass production of eating chocolate as well as drinking
chocolate. In 1861, Richard Cadbury created the first heart-shaped box of
chocolates to celebrate the holiday. He even designed the beautiful boxes
himself.
Valentine’s
Day is the perfect moment to shower your beloved with tokens of your love or
let your friends and family know that you value them. This year, consider
showing them how much you care for them and their health with a gift of
Superberries. Not only are they delicious and versatile, but as a superfood,
they provide nutrients and antioxidants that can improve our health. Baking your
loved ones a delicious Aronia berry dessert or giving them Super berries gummy
chews is a wonderful way to show your appreciation.
