by Ava Salado
Pink and Red flowers, pretty cards, over priced chocolates and little Cupid figurines are just some of the things that you think of when we hear the words “Valentines Day”. There is much more behind those words, Valentine’s Day has a much bigger history than you may think. So what is Valentine’s Day really all about? Well “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get” and believe me, this story is full of surprises.
There are many stories of how Valentine’s Day was started but no one really knows which one is true or even just the inspiration for the holiday. Some historians believe that it originated from
St. Valentine, a priest who served during the third century in Rome. The story goes that Emperor Claudius II thought that men would be better soldiers if they did not have families and did not get married, so the emperor made it illegal for any young man to get married.
St. Valentine saw the unfairness in the new law thus he decided to marry young couples in secret, eventually Cladius discovered what St. Valentine was doing and (did what they always did in old times) beheaded him. People in the third century had awful tempers.
One story suggested that St. Valentine was killed trying to help Christians escape cruel Roman prisons.
Another legend states that St. Valentine was imprisoned and sent the first “Valentine” introducing himself when he fell in love with a young lady, possibly his captor’s daughter who may have visited him during his imprisonment. Before his death he gave her a card that said “from your Valentine” which is now very popular in today’s romantic cards.
1. It wasn’t until the 1840s that we got mass-produced valentine cards
As we just learned, sending pretty cards to your friends and significant other has been a tradition for a long time, but the world had not gotten a mass-produced store-bought valentine until the 1840s! We have Esther A. Howland to thank for that, she commercialized Valentine’s Day cards in America.
2. America spends about 20 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day gifts each year
According to Hallmark and The National Retail federation, America spends a lot on Valentine’s Day: $2.4 billion on candy alone, $145 million on cards and $27.6 million on just their pet dogs! It has been labeled “one of the most expensive holidays in America” and it definitely shows in the numbers
3. Almost 6 million couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day
It is certainly a day of romance and not surprisingly one for showing your love to your significant other, so naturally it is just behind Christmas to be the most popular day ever to get engaged.
4. More than 8 million little conversation hearts are manufactured each year
Conversation Hearts, being one of the most popular Valentine’s Day surprises are bought and manufactured to a crazy amount: more than 8 million each year! Now that’s a lot of corny catch phrases!
So all you students out there, what are your Valentine’s Day traditions, which story of St. Valentine’s do you think is true and what do you think the holiday is all really about? The entire Lighthouse staff wishes you and your family a great (late) Valentine’s day whether you celebrate it or not, have a wonderful day!
The Lighthouse 