Valentine's Day : Romance, Love, and Friendship

Valentines Day, a day to remember, a day to love, a day for romance. Valentine's day is the day when so many couples decide to engage in that romantic evening alone together, embracing one another in each other's arm's.

Every year in the month of February, loved ones give out gifts and candy in the name of St. Valentine yet so many of us don't even know that much about him. You may be asking yourself who this saint is and why every lover celebrates this holiday. The history of Valentines Day and its patron saint, is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance.

Over the years there have been many legends of this St. Valentine. One of the legends include a tale of a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young me. When Valentine heard of this he was outraged and decided to perform marriages for young lovers in secret against the Emperor Claudius II. When Claudius found out about what Valentine was doing, he had him put to death.

Other legends of Valentine include some that suggested that he may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

There was another legend that suggested that while he was in prison he sent the fist valentine's card to a young girl that he fell in love with. It was rumored that the young girl was the jailers daughter. She was noted to have visited him while he was in confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed from your Valentine, and expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and , most importantly, romantic figure. By the middle ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card sending holiday of the year.

Approximately eighty - five percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, , Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as th e middle ages, and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840's by Ester A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborated creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as scrap.

During Howlands first year in her business of selling valentines cards she made a then mind boggling $5,000 in cards. The valentine industry in the United States has been booming ever since. Today, over one billion valentine cards are sent in the country each year.

In addition to cards, there are also millions of boxes of chocolates and roses bought each year for this special occasion.

Approximately seventy - three percent of people who by flowers for Valentines day are men and only twenty - seven percent are women. There are three percent of pet owners who will purchase a valentine' s day gift for there pet . California produces sixty percent of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine's Day int eh United States are imported, mostly from South America. Approximately 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three - day time period.

Cupid was another symbol of Valentine's Day. He became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards holding a bow and arrows because he is believed to use magical arrows to inspire feelings of love and has become widely popular over the years.

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.

No matter if you choose to celebrate Valentines Day with a romantic dinner or with chocolates and roses, there is no doubt that you will be filled with romance on this day. Valentine's Day is a day for love and affection.

On Valentines Day there will be hearts galore, pretty little frilly cards, chocolates, and maybe even cupid will be standing next to you waiting to make his move with his bow and arrow to his side.