Chesterfield New Hampshire Historical Society
Happy Valentine's Day
From Martyrdom to Romance
Surprisingly, little is known of St. Valentine, the Patron Saint of Lovers, Epileptics, and Beekeepers. The Roman Catholic Church acknowledges him as a saint, but removed him from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the "lack of clarity surrounding his origins”. Pope Gelasius I canonized the Saint in 496CE, over 200 years after his approximate death in 270. The confusion in St. Valentine's origins lies in the fact that he may not have been just one man, but actually several men, all who died as a Christian martyrs at about the same time.
Legend has it that Roman Emperor Claudius II beheaded Valentine. This method of execution was a common practice in those days. Might Valentine have been the priest who illegally continued to marry Roman men so that they could avoid military service (which required them to remain single)? Claudius II was short on military manpower. Or was it the Valentine who was persecuted and imprisoned for being a Christian?That Valentine was said to have fallen in love with the jailer's daughter and sent her a love note on his execution day signed, “From your Valentine". Or was it Valentinus, the Bishop of Terni, who according to tradition, cured a blind girl's eyes by touching them? This miracle impressed a prominent household and consequentially he successfully baptized over 40 people. However, his continual illegal proselytizing had him finally sent to Rome. There Claudius II, despite liking him, got annoyed with his constant attempts to convert him, and had him beheaded. Valentinus is said to have been buried February 14th on the Via Flamina (a road through the Apennines to Rome). The Feast of Saint Valentine has been celebrated on this day since the 6th century.
Like most Christian holidays, February 14 was originally part of a pagan observance, the Roman Festival of Lupercalia or Februatus. Its purpose was to purify the city, promote health, and fertility. It took place at the opening of the agricultural season during the Ides of February (13 – 15). this celebration was dedicated to Faunus, God of Agriculture as well as Rome's founders Romulus and Remus. During it, a male goat (for fertility) and a dog (for purification) were sacrificed. Strips of goat hide dipped in the sacred blood were raced through the city and fields. Being hit by one promoted fertility and an easy birth. Lupercalia remained popular well after the acceptance of Christianity. However, Pope Gelasius I (494-496 CE) who demanded strict Catholic Orthodoxy, finally outlawed it.
It wasn’t until the 14th and 15th centuries that the day became connected with romance. This was the period when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently associated with the “lovebirds” of early spring. In France and England, it was commonly believed that Feb. 14 was the beginning of the birds’ mating season. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer launched St. Valentine’s Day into a romantic celebration with his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules” (Parliament of Fowls.) Consequently, Valentine’s greetings grew in popularity, but written valentines didn’t appear until after 1400.
The oldest known valentine was written in 1415 by Frenchman Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Later, Henry V, in his bid to be King of England and France, had his poet laureate write a Valentine note to Catherine of Valois, daughter of French King Charles VI. They married in 1420. Where the king goes, the court must follow, so the practice of sending love notes to friends and loved ones on Feb. 14 began.
The holiday’s popularity began to catch on with the general population around the 17th century. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. By the middle of the 1800s, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.
The mass-production of printed American valentines began in Worcester, MA with Ester A. Howland. At 19, she received an English printed valentine. Unimpressed, she thought she could do better. And better she did! From 1847 to 1880, she created and ran a thriving card making business which morphed into “New England Valentine Company”. The widely popular cards included ribbons, artistic illustrations, hidden doors, gilded lace, and interior envelopes that could hold more secret messages, locks of hair or even engagement rings. An astute business woman, Howland cards covered the entire spectrum of costs from a dollar to $50. Ester Howland was independent minded, rejected pressure to marry, traveled without a chaperone, and was among the first employers to pay her mostly female workforce a decent wage. Upon her death in 1904, she was named
"The Mother of the American Valentine”
According to the Greeting Card Association and Hallmark, roughly 145 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. This makes it the year's second-largest card-sending holiday.
(The CHS volunteers could not find any antique valentines in the archives. The top picture is M. J. Barrett's flip top calling card.)
