There is no doubt that Valentines Day is the holiday of love. However, let us not forget how Valentines Day came to be. This holiday is actually short for Saint Valentines Day.
The popular story about how Saint Valentine became a martyr derived from third century Rome. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made for better soldiers and forbid young men to marry. Father Valentine defied Claudius by continuing to marry young couples and did so until his actions were discovered. In result, he was ordered to be put to death. Even while he was imprisoned, couples sought him, and Valentine continued to marry them.
Another interesting spin on Saint Valentine’s Day is the time he spent imprisoned by the Romans. He fell in love with a girl who would visit him, presumably his jailers daughter, and wrote her a letter. Before Valentine was put to death, he ended it with the popular phrase, “From your Valentine.”
The Greeting Card Association shared that Valentines Day cards, with about 1 billion cards sent all over the world each year, comes second to selling Christmas cards.
America did not start the tradition of Valentines Day until the 1700s.
In 2015, it was estimated that 250 Million flowers were sold and surveyed that Americans in 2016 will buy flowers spending a total of $1.9 billion.
The heart shaped boxes that are filled with chocolate is another symbol of love on Valentines Day. According to Neilson, America will spend $345 million on Valentines Day chocolate.
Valentines Day is more than about exchanging cards and eating chocolate. It is in remembrance of how Saint Valentine did what he felt was right and continued to marry couples regardless of the penalty.
All in the name of love.