A Valentine from 1909!

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early saints named Valentinus, Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.

The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”, as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine’s Malady). 

Saint Valentine’s Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church.  Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day, albeit on July 6 and July 30, the former date in honor of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).

I wanted to wish all my friends out there in blogland a very HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to you and yours and I hope you all have a wonderful day and night!  Enjoy your evening and maybe it’s a dinner for two out celebrating or a quiet dinner at home for the two of you it doesn’t matter as long as you’re with the one you love.  Husband, boyfriend or your favorite little man there’s always room for more love!!!  May your heart have an over abundance of love this wonderful Valentine’s Day!!!