Every year, on 15th February, the Romans would hold a festival in honour of their God Lupercus. The calendar of ancient Rome was very different from our modern-day version and the February festival celebrated the arrival of Spring. One of the customs during the celebrations was 'name-drawing'. On the eve of the festival, the names of girls were written on slips of paper and placed in jars. Each young man drew a slip and the girl whose name was on the paper became his sweetheart for the year.

The festival appears to have moved around 496AD when it became a Christian festival to coincide with the death of a young Christian called Valentine.In 496AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honour of Valentine's martyrdom. Since AD 496 the feast of St Valentines has been celebrated, some believe to suppress an older pagan fertility festival held on the 15th of February. But the feast was more of a Christian celebration rather than the romantic day we now it as now. The association with romance dates from the middle ages, where most of the legends surrounding St. Valentine were written

Valentine was a priest in Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius forbade his soldiers to marry as he believed that if they had wives and children, they would not be so keen to fight his wars. But the edict was hugely unpopular and many soldiers defied their Emperor.
Valentine sympathised with the Emperor's soldiers and often secretly married the young couples. He was arrested and sentenced to death. While in jail awaiting his execution, he fell in love with the jailer's daughter. Folklore claims that he wrote the girl a love letter on the eve of his death, signing it 'From your Valentine'.

Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers.  The date was marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers.  There was often a social gathering or a ball

Valentines Cards & Vale tines Greetings - Valentine Celebrations
As far back as the Middle Ages, couples exchanged Valentine greetings. Lovers would say or sing their love poems. Written Valentines began to appear in the 15th century. The oldest 'Valentine' was made in the 1400s and is on display in the British Museum.

By the 17th century, handmade cards were oversized and elaborate, while store-bought ones were smaller and costly.

By the 18th century, Valentine cards had become extremely elaborate. They were hand-crafted and often came with lace, sequins and embroidery. Early Valentines were homemade and it wasn't until the 1840s that the first commercial Valentines were produced

Valentines - 19th century - The real revolution came in the early 19th century with a reduction in postal rates. This helped to establish the custom of sending anonymous messages or cards to those one admired.

Valentines and Chaucer
In Chaucer’s Parliament of Foules he says: ‘For this was sent on Valentines’s Day, when every foul cometh there to choose his mate’. For this reason, the day was looked on as specially consecrated to lovers, who would address each other as their ‘Valentines’ and the giving and receiving of tokens became popular

Valentine Romance
The association of romance with St Valentines day dates from around the 14th century. One of the earliest written accounts of the romantic nature of Valentines day is by Geoffrey Chaucer where he notes the pairing of mating birds on St Valentines day.


Valentine Song
Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day.  They went singing from home to home - valentine verses such as this one.

Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine

Valentine Middle Ages Tradition
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be.  They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week.  To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

Valentine Belief - Folklore
Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor.  If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy.  If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

Valentine Welsh Tradition - Love Spoons
In Wales, UK wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, ‘You unlock my heart!’ Even today most Welsh gift shops sell them.

Valentine Cards - Signed or Unsigned?
Nowadays we choose our valentines and send them unsigned cards. In the old days men and women used to put their names on slips of paper and draw lots as to who should be their love for the day.

Valentine Folklore - Medieval Valentine Tradition
BE MY VALENTINE! - During the medieval days of chivalry, the names of English maidens and bachelors were put into the box and drawn out in pairs. Each couple exchanged gifts. The girl became the man's valentine for that year. On his sleeve he wore her name and it was his bounded duty to attend and protect her.

This old, old custom of drawing names on the fourteenth of February was considered a good omen for love. It often foretold a wedding. For since the beginning of things this has been lovers' day, a time for loving, for giving and receiving love tokens.

Another popular legend of how Valentine’s Day begun is based on medieval folklore. It was said that birds chose their mates on February 14, so this became the day for sweethearts to express their amorous feelings.It was believed that this was the day that birds chose their mates. What bird you saw on this day was meant to foretell the type of person you would marry. Another way was to put some bay leaves under your pillow and you would dream of your future husband or wife.

Valentine Honour - Henry V111
A daughter of Henry IV of France gave a party in honour of St Valentine. Each lady received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the man chosen as her valentine. Valentines day was declared an official holiday by England's Henry VIII in 1537.

Valentine Superstition
Remember, there is an old superstition that if you see a robin on St. Valentine's Day you will marry a sailor. If you see a sparrow, you will marry a poor man. If you see a goldfinch, you will marry a millionaire.

Valentine Flowers - Roses
Giving flowers on St. Valentine's Day first became popular in the 17th century. Roses, having the distinction of representing love in all its forms, are the blossoms of choice on Valentine's Day. The rose was reputed to be the favourite flower of Venus, and so it was dubbed the flower of passion and love. One single perfect red rose framed with baby's breath is referred to by some florists as a "signature rose," and is the preferred choice for giving on St. Valentine's Day. 

The red rose was the favourite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red stands for strong feelings which is why a red rose is a flower of love. The colours of Valentine's Day are red and white, and also pink, a combination of the former two. Red symbolizes passion, while white symbolizes purity. Pink is perhaps the most appropriate colour for young lovers - a meeting point between the two extremes. 

Valentine Massacre
In 1929 the St Valentine’s Day’s Massacre took place in a Chicago, Illinois, America. Seven rivals of Al Capone's gang were gunned down.

Valentine - From the Tower of London
Charles, duke of Orleans, sent the first true Valentine card in 1415 to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.

Valentine - Cupid
Cupid was a mischievous, winged child, whose arrows would pierce the hearts of his victims causing them to fall deeply in love. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite. To the Romans he was Cupid, and his mother Venus