A Valentine's Lesson

The tradition of exchanging gifts and valentines on February 14th really began in the 19th Century but the holiday has been closely associated with the ideals of romantic love since the High Middle Ages when the influences of Geoffrey Chaucer and courtly love flourished...


You could celebrate it on May 2nd. That's when the actual Valentine's day is supposed to be--depending of course on your definition of "supposed to".  Apparently Valentine's Day is celebrated as a festival of romantic love at least in part due to a poem by Chaucer, stating:


"For this was on seynt Volantynys day. Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make." By "chese his make", he apparently means, "choose his mate", and it seems unlikely he was referring to the Valentine's Day in February.  I guess there used to be several Valentine's days, though, and the one he was probably talking about was actually May 2nd.

Victorian valentines….Lacy Valentines of the Victorian era reached their peak in the years 1840-1860. Handcrafted motifs Cupids, birds, flowers, hearts, and darts enhanced with chiffon, silk, satin, tule, or lace on delicate lace paper.


Some valentines were decorated in watercolor or delicate pen and ink. Often handwriting was a thing of beauty as fine penmanship was considered an art form.

Puzzle Purse valentines were a folded puzzle. Scattered among their many folds were verses that had to be read in a certain order.


Another token of love in the 19th century was a paper hand, the symbol of courtship. Sometimes gloves were a way to propose…it she accepted the girl wore the gloves to church the following Easter.


Green leaves stood for hope in love. British girls used to place bay leaves sprinkled with rose water on their pillows on St. Valentine’s Day Eve. Hopeful to see in their dreams the faces of their future husbands.


In the Orient, Theorem or Poonah valentines had designs that were painted through a stencil cut in oil paper coated with gum Arabic to keep the paint form running,


The Love Knot reads “The knot of love which has no end to let you know my love is true and that to none alive but vow. So be my wife and live with me as long as life shall granted be and I shall ever faithful prove of thee alone my only love sweetest of creatures to thee I send.”


These love knots are not just meant for expressing love, but they are also used as means of proposing for marriage. In the ancient times, the trend was that the guy used to deliver the Celtic love knot at his lovers doorstep and then wait for her response. If the girl accepted the love knot, it would mean the girl is ready for marriage and if on the contrary she didn't pick up the love knot that means the guy has unfortunately been rejected.


During the Civil War there were special valentines for soldiers and their sweethearts. Some showed couples parting ways. Others had a tent with flaps that opened to reveal a soldier. This was called a window valentine. Another Civil War novelty was the valentine that included a lock of hair.


About 1880, valentines lost their delicacy.

Fringe and tassels replaced the fine lace paper valentines. Many valentines were smothered in feather, fake flowers, jewels, beads, seeds, and berries. Many of them in such poor taste that people lost interest in the,. And by the end of World War I, Victorian or English valentines become relics of a bygone age.

“Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.”

– Author Unknown