Valentine's Day Around the World

The Catholic Church teaches of at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all who were martyred.

One legend states that Valentine was a priest who served in Rome during the third century. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those who were married and with families, he made it illegal for young men to be married, as these were his crop of potential soldiers.

Valentine, seeing the injustice of the law, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages in secret for young lovers. When his actions were found out, Emperor Claudius ordered that Valentine be put to death.

Other legends suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. According to the legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl, who some say was the jailor's daughter. It is told that she visited him while he was imprisoned. Before his death, it is said that he wrote her a love letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' a salutation that is still used today.

Although the truth behind these Valentine legends is unclear, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic historic figure. It's not surprising that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Some traditions from other countries:

Great Britain

In Great Britain on Valentine's Day Eve, women used to pin four bay leaves to the corners of their pillow and eat eggs with salt replacing the removed yokes.

They believed they would then dream of their future husbands. Also, women used to write their lover's names on paper and put them on clay balls, which they would then drop into the water. It was believed that whichever paper came up first, that man would be their future husband.

DENMARK

School children exchange friendship tokens, which are pressed snowdrops accompanied by original verses. The sender signs the gaekkebrev, or joking letter, with a series of dots, one dot standing for each letter in the name. When the boy who receives the gaekkebrev guesses the sender's name correctly, the girl is expected to reward him at Easter with a chocolate or sugar egg. If the boy fails to decipher the name, he is expected to pay the girl with the chocolate or sugar egg.

GERMANY, SPAIN, AUSTRIA

Germans, Austrians and some Americans share the tradition of giving roses, chocolates and personal gifts to their wives. In Spain, the wives give gifts to the husband while the husband gives only flowers to his wife.

ITALY

In Italy, it is a tradition to get engaged on Valentine's Day, February 14. Some shops sell china baskets and cups which are filled with Valentine candies and tied with ribbon which you can give as Valentine presents.

One story passed down of Valentine's Day during the 1700's tells how groups of friends met together and drew names. For several days, each of the men wore his valentine's name pinned on his sleeve. The saying wearing his heart on his sleeve likely came from this tradition.

The custom of sending romantic messages gradually replaced that of giving gifts. In the 1700's and 1800's, many stores sold books called Valentine Writers. In these books were verses to copy in the senders own handwriting on thick paper and suggestions about how to write valentines.

Commercially sold valentines were first made in the early 1800's of the Victorian Era. Usually they were blank inside, with space for the sender to write a personal love message. A British artist Kate Greenaway became famous for her valentines in the late 1800's. Many of her cards featured charming pictures of happy children and lovely gardens.

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