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Why Do We Give Valentine Cards?

Valentine’s Day is celebrated across the globe on the 14th of February each year. Why is this date the universal date for lovers and what’s the significance of it – read on to find out!

What’s the reason Valentine’s Day cards so popular?

The red roses wilt and fade, chocolates get eaten and vouchers quickly redeemed and then forgotten. The only alternative is a stunning Valentine’s day card that expresses love and unending commitment.

A greeting card can create a strong emotional connection, and they are frequently memories that are handed down through the generations, often depicting relationships between people long deceased.

History has it that true romantics do not sign their cards because they believe that the recipient will know instantly from whom it came. The postmark could be a clue, but certain card-senders check the loyalty of their loved ones by traveling thousands of miles away from their home, or across the world, to mail their message. For funny Valentines cards check this site…

The History of Valentine’s Day

The origins of early spring romance goes back to ancient times, when there were pagan festivals celebrating the blossoming of romance. A fertility festival was observed on February 15th , as this was the time when birds were supposed to begin mating.

The tradition of sending love tokens and messages on the 14th of February has been practiced for centuries, including the earliest known Valentine’s Cards that date back to around the year 15thcentury. In the year 2019, the world’s oldest well-known Valentine’s Card was sold at auction for $7,200, which demonstrates the marketable interest for this romantic custom. The early Valentines usually took the form of poems or notes that were written in hand However, by the 1800s with the availability of paper at a low cost and development of new technology for printing Valentine’s Day cards became available to everyone in addition to artists and poets.

However, it was those cruel Roman emperors, persecuting Christians as well as Christians, who we have to be thankful for our modern Valentines. One in particular, known as Claudius the Cruel (actually Claudius II) prohibited soldiers from marrying to each other, in case they thought about their families and wives. A Christian priest named Valentinus was able to defy the decree and held secret wedding ceremonies for which when the emperor discovered the secret, he got thrown in prison. While in prison, he was able to meet (and possibly became infatuated with) the daughter of a blind man his jailer; and some reports claim that his faith helped cure her from suffering. The day before his execution, he gave her a letter of goodbye that read ‘from your valentine’. The date? February 14th of course!

Then, the pagan festival of Lupercalia was declared by Christian priests to be an official Feast of St Valentine; and thus started a custom that has become peculiarly British…the mailing of Valentine cards. However, it was that lover of loved ones, Henry VIII, who finally declared the day a day – a Royal Charter of 1537 established that February the 14th as St Valentine’s Day. Other nations do celebrate the day, but not the enthusiasm and passion of the Britons.

While the French are not enthusiastic about Valentine’s Day However, the first Valentine message that is inside the British Museum was sent in 1450 by a French nobleman. Charles Duke of Orleans was a “guest” of the British monarchy at the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt and he sent the Valentine to his wife. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that the giving of lavishly printed cards became fashionable.

If you love me, you’ll love me…

The British are among the most romantic in the world, at least when it comes to sending the Valentine’s cards. According to the annual market report that was conducted by the Greeting Card Association PS47m was spent on Valentine’s Day cards in 2022.

Traditionally , lovers would travel to Lover’s village in Wiltshire village Lover to deliver cards to express their love for their loved ones, and even to confuse their partner. In response to continued requests, following the closing of the local PO there is an unofficial Post Office each year during the weeks leading through Valentines to make sure that the Lover Postmark remains.

In the 18th Century one poet with a flair for innovation published “The teenage man’s Valentine’ the collection of poems that covered every emotion that could help a the tongue-tied young man communicate their feelings. It became a hit. The same books came out which included poems written for women; some even gave verses that give the chance to rebuke an unintentional partner.

Today, the majority of people prefer to send a card. The popularity of greeting cards has played an increasingly important role to British communicating since the very first Christmas card was issued in 1843 by Sir Henry Cole. The use of cards in the UK was booming at the beginning of the 20th century, and cards played an important part in the communications between the two world wars. Post-war, sending a card to a friend increasingly became the chosen way to mark special occasions, convey sentiments of sympathy, or simply express your thoughts about You. Scientific research undertaken during 2017 from Royal Mail demonstrated the impact of receiving a card with a message. Many of us can remember receiving that first Valentine’s Day card and many have kept them!

Today , Valentine’s day cards are also sent out to other family members on their list, especially if they feel they need an extra dose of romance to their lives.

Royal Romance

The most popular Valentine card writers was Queen Victoria who loved sending perfumed missives to Royal aides on February 14th and seeing their reactions when the mail came in during her rainy season. there was a huge demand for leap year cards, when women were permitted to ask the question. There were hilarious cards made and many of them showed large women on the run from small men. However, while customers remain, sending of leap year cards were a temporary phenomenon.