The holiday dates back to the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, a three day rite that centered around the Lupa, the she-wolf who legend says suckled the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Sacrifices would be made to the gods and young men would run through the streets of Rome with makeshift whips fashioned from the skins of the sacrificed animals. Women and young girls would line the streets hoping receive a lash from one of the whips which was supposed to guarantee fertility and reduce pain during childbirth. (This is not one of the gift ideas we suggest!)
It was poet Geoffery Chaucer who made the first known association of Valentine’s Day and love when he wrote about birds choosing their mates on St. Valentine’s Day (hence the term “lovebirds” as well). Birds are nice gift ideas, but a bit messy.
The ensuing Middle Ages were a time when courtly love was celebrated and St. Valentine’s Day became the centerpiece. It is believed the first Valentine gift was given by the Duke of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of London, who wrote a poem to his wife in honor of the day, referring to her as his “sweet Valentine.” Little did he know he was giving birth to the greeting card industry, and all the gift ideas that followed.
Flash forward to Victorian England where, with the creation of mail delivery, it became customary to send Valentine’s messages to others. These would often be handmade and embroidered with ribbon and lace. Later, factories emerged to make these gifts. Additionally, gift ideas such as chocolates and flowers would accompany the message.
The American contribution came in the form the greeting card. Apparently Americans weren’t creative enough to come up with their own Valentine’s messages and gift ideas, so they outsourced it. Greeting card companies would create a romantic message contained within a card that could be bought and sent.
Through colonization, Valentine’s Day became popular the world over and is practiced in similar forms throughout the world.
