Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine, was originally a Christian feast day of remembrance for Saint Valentine of Rome, who was imprisoned for ministering to persecuted Christians in third century Rome. According to tradition (that lovely word again), he restored sight to his jailor’s blind daughter, and is said to have written her a letter signed ‘Your Valentine’ before his execution, while another tradition has it that he presided over weddings of Christian soldiers who had been forbidden to marry.

It wasn’t until the 14th century, however, that Valentine’s Day started to be associated with romance, which continued to grow until 18th century England, when it became the day for couples to express love for each other in the form of presenting flowers, greeting cards, and chocolates (known as valentines).

In Italy, ‘Valentine’s Keys’ were exchanged as a romantic symbol. They were also given to children, to ward off epilepsy (which was called Saint Valentine’s Malady).