Valentine's Day Traditions

Valentine's Day cards have been around in some form or another since the 15th century. The holiday's love letters that we exchange today have origins in the 18th century as fancy paper designed with flowers and hearts. People wrote their own messages or they looked to little book called the Valentine Writer for an inspirational verse.

From 1840 to 1860, Valentine's Day cards were works of art often hand painted and adorned with silk, lace, fresh flowers or sachets, glass ornamentation, and gold-leaf accents. Esther Howland is credited as the first person to sell and mass produce these lavish Valentines at a price that ranged from $5 to $30 for one card. A pretty penny in the mid 1800's! The artistry became a little less detailed, but late 19th century cards were still decorated with items such as feathers, faux flowers, and costume jewelry.

What started as a hand-written note expressing, "I love you," has turned into an amorous empire. Approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year on this day of love. Electronic Valentines are also sent to friends and loved ones with romantic music, dancing hearts, and even recoding capabilities so you can utter sweet nothings to your recipient over the World Wide Web. It's a great timesaver for those on the go, but perhaps a touch impersonal for your sweetheart.

Roses have long been known as the "flower of love," because mythology proclaims it to be the favorite of Venus, Roman goddess of love.

The red rose symbolizes love and passion and the gift of a dozen red roses to your Valentine is customary on this day.

Yellow roses signify friendship and white represents purity and faith.

The pink rose means happiness, which presents an ironic twist for this holiday because a pink almond tree blossomed over Saint Valentine's grave.

An obvious symbol of love as the heart is considered to be the seat of emotion. The heart beats fast when one is excited or filled with the notion of a lover.

Whereas some may be ruled by their hearts, others happily open them up especially on Valentine's Day.

Chocolate has long been associated with this holiday as it is a natural aphrodisiac. Phenyl ethylamine, a substance found in chocolate, is supposed to make one feel as if they are falling in love.

Packaging chocolates in a heart-shaped red box for Valentine's Day was the brilliant marketing idea of chocolatiers.

These tiny heart-shaped candies with an embossed message have been around since 1902! A favorite of children to exchange in school with racy sayings like "Be Mine" the manufacturer, NECCO, currently sells about 8 billion of these confectionary gems on Valentine's Day.

A popular little angel on Valentine's Day, this mythological cherub flew around shooting arrows into one's heart. According to legend, people struck would not perish but live to fall in love with the first person they saw.