It all started with St. Valentine.
Where did all these cheesy Valentine's cards come from? (www.partyinvitationsblog.com)
BY JANET MOORE
As Valentine’s Day approaches, a few of us, namely those who question their allegiance to the greeting card companies each time they find themselves in the card aisle, begin to wonder: ‘Who was the first to actually pull a romantic stunt on this day of all days?’
THE GREAT VALENTINE’S MYSTERY
The official history of the impending holiday is clouded in mystery, not seeming to warrant proper documentation as with other holidays such as Christmas or Eid (a Muslim holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan). Associated with the legend are three possible figures, all of course named Valentine. Some of the popular versions involve said Valentine being arrested and put to death for pursuing romance in defiance of the non-romantic military generals who commonly ran the show.
A TRUE VALENTINE’S TALE
One enticing version involves the emperor realizing that the best soldiers were men who came to the table with no baggage, i.e., wives or children (insert Smokin’ For Men joke here). Having no one back home to live for undoubtedly made them more ruthless, and so the emperor officially forbade his military men to marry. Enter Valentine, an unwitting party already committed to the service, who decided this was fundamentally wrong and, in the name of all things romantic, contended soldiers should be allowed to court, entice and sweep beautiful women off their feet at all costs–even if it meant jeopardizing the future of the empire. Unfortunately for Val, the emperor and military generals had rather different priorities, namely expanding the size and wealth of the empire and not giving in to the fluttering hearts of swooning strumpets.
VALENTINE’S HISTORY CHANGES
This is where the stories diverge. Some say Valentine continued to pursue romance and was then put to death. Another version suggests he went to jail and fell in love with a girl whilst locked up. In the tradition of every good tale, it’s believed this worthy waif was the jailer’s daughter and therefore even more forbidden. Others say he sent a love note to this girl, signing it “From your Valentine,” inadvertently starting a millennium of greeting card consumers upon the same path.
VALENTINE’S MOST ENTHUSIASTIC COUNTRY
And thus began Valentine’s Day, upheld for centuries as the day we tell those closest to us how deeply we care about them. While I’ve never understood the North American obsession with the day (that includes the Weekly Wanderer’s publisher), I have to admit that the most enthusiastic country I’ve encountered so far is Korea. They don’t stop at one day a year–the young people have a day almost every month! On Valentine’s Day, girls give gifts to the boys, while on White Day in March the boys give to the girls. On Pepero Day in November couples give each other cookie sticks dipped in chocolate, called Pepero in Korea. (You can find them in Canada at any Loblaws grocery store by their Japanese name, Poki). For more on the romance in Korea, check out my article.
If you’re on the road with someone this Valentine’s Day, consider these romantic out-of-the-way spots:
-Amalfi Coast, Italy
-Jeju Island, South Korea
-Nafplio, Greece
Janet Moore is a teacher working in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. She is also the Travel Editor of The Weekly Wanderer, having wandered to over six countries in Asia and in Europe.
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