Credit: Robert Lyons
We can probably all agree that Valentine’s Day, like many holidays in 21st-century America, is overly commercialized. No sooner do the red bows of Christmas decorations come down than right behind them pop up red hearts.
In grade school days, it was fun to exchange simple paper cards that came packaged in the dozens. As young adults, the exchange gets more complicated and loaded. Flowers or chocolates? And what kind?
Stories about the origin of Valentine’s Day abound. Its earliest roots are likely in a Roman festival, Lupercalia, held on Feb. 15, that celebrated the days getting longer. Mardi Gras, which this year is Feb. 13, shares those pagan origins. The Roman Catholic Church likely declared Feb. 14 as the day to celebrate St. Valentine back in the fifth century A.D. in order to Christianize Lupercalia.
Who was St. Valentine? At least three different saints, all martyrs, were named Valentine. One of them was a Roman priest who defied Emperor Claudius II by marrying young lovers in secret despite the emperor having outlawed marriage for young men—because he’d decided single men made better soldiers. Another St. Valentine was a bishop of Terni and, like the priest, also beheaded by Claudius. Then there was a Valentine who helped other Christians escape Roman prisons. Legend has it that he fell in love with a young girl who visited him while he was imprisoned and left her a note, “From Your Valentine.” All three St. Valentines were relatively heroic figures, and all killed for their Christian faith and actions. Perhaps the red hearts of their day hearken back to the blood of martyrs?
By the Middle Ages, Valentine was a popular saint in England and France, and St. Valentine’s Day started becoming associated with love and romance, partly because it was thought that mid-February was when birds mated. The first records of written valentines date from the 15th century. In Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be widely celebrated around the 17th century. By the mid-18th century, people of all classes exchanged handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards appeared.
In America, hand-made valentines have been exchanged since the 1700s, and printed cards followed in the mid-19th century. Hallmark estimates that around 145 million valentine cards are bought annually in the United States, outdone only by Christmas cards in volume.
On Valentine’s Day, cards, flowers, gifts and chocolates are exchanged. Several shops in Pine Plains notice an uptick in sales around Valentine’s Day. Melissa Popp of Hugs and Kisses Flower Shop said, “Roses are always a big seller, along with bouquets of tulips.” Jeanie Prager at the Pine Plains Pharmacy said there is a surge in sales of Valentine’s Day cards, chocolate and candy around the holiday, although sometimes the biggest increase comes after the date when things are discounted. Some places are poised for last minute purchases: The Rural Center Refillery has a build-your-own Valentine’s Day box to gift, Demeter Home has cards and gifts ready and Peck’s Food Market has chocolate on the shelves and flowers near the checkout counter. Both Champetre and Stissing House are hosting Valentine’s Day meals.
If what you desire for your heart is a handcrafted gift, you have the opportunity on Saturday, Feb. 10, to check out a couple of local craft fairs. Willow Roots is holding a bazaar that day in the community center above the Pine Plains library, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In nearby Bangall, there is a craft fair at Bangallworks, on Hunns Lake Road, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. New vendors as well as their main crafters will offer 100% handmade goods from local artists and craftspeople.
If you’re planning to celebrate your affection or friendship for anyone, there’s no shortage of local venues to help you meet the challenge.