Chocolates, flowers, jewellery and lots of affection. Valentine's day celebrated on February 14th, is the holiday for lovers to express their feelings and gratitude for one another through greetings and gifts. In this blog, I will talk about the past, present and future of Valentine’s Day.
The Bizarre and everlasting stories of Valentine's day
One of Europe's oldest celebrations, this day of love dates back hundreds of years before Saint Valentine walked around Rome.
As a Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, it has evolved into a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and romance in many countries around the world.
Valentine's Day is associated with a number of martyrdom stories, including the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome in the third century for ministering to persecute Christians. According to an early folk story, the blind daughter of his jailer is said to have been restored to sight by Saint Valentine. The legend has been embellished numerous times in the 18th century to better relate to love.
Another story is that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers forbidden from marrying, saying he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution. Apparently, this particular Saint Valentine wore a ring with a small Cupid on it - a symbol of love - which helped soldiers identify him.
A pioneer of greeting cards, he handed out paper hearts to remind Christians of their love for God. Due to this legend, St. Valentine is known as the patron saint of love. From then on, the Valentines of Rome were honoured every year on the 14th of February which soon formulated into the gift-giving and loving Valentine's day we know today.
Why do we still carry on the Valentine’s Day tradition?
Expressing love through romantic messages in specially decorated, handmade cards became Valentine’s Day tradition and is still in practice today. In fact, Valentine’s is one of the top three holidays for sending cards, with hundreds of millions of Valentine’s Day cards sent each year.
In truth, Valentine’s Day is the only holiday that lets you freely choose whom you want to express your love for; there are time-tested classics, such as chocolates, roses, and cards, especially special jewellery pieces like the ones offered by Gaia Nature Inspired Jewellery.
How Valentine’s day has evolved over the years and is celebrated today
The first handmade Valentine's Day card from the 1800s was not intended just for lovers. People in the 19th century also celebrate the affection between family and friends.
Today various countries celebrate Valentine’s day in various ways. Some countries traditionally observe this day as Friendship Day. On February 14, Finns celebrate Ystävänpäivä, which translates to Friends Day. Other celebrations, such as Galentine and Palentine Day, are like Valentine's Day, except instead of celebrating love with your significant other, you spend the day enjoying and appreciating the connection you have with your closest and best friends. We can all agree that we can't thank our friends enough for all they've done for us, so flip the script and celebrate all your relationships this year.
However you celebrate Valentine’s Day, there is a perfect gift out there for everyone. Whether you are buying for a friend, lover or family member, it is the thought that counts. At Gaia Nature Inspired Jewellery, you will find a jewellery piece for animal, nature, plant, bird, bee, crystal lovers or just for that quirky person who loves anything unusual. If you’d like to see some of these pieces of jewellery, please visit the store by clicking here.
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