Valentine’s day is getting closer and closer. Whether you like it or not, shops will be taken over by teddy-bears, red hearts, chocolate boxes and roses.
The origin of this day is very romantic and goes back to the Roman Empire.
Claudius the Emperor forbid marriages because he thought that married men would refuse to go to war (but we think that some might have been happy to do so ;) However a catholic bishop Valentine decided to secretly marry couples, and he soon ended up in prison. He was sentenced to death and while waiting he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. They were exchanging letters and the last one, sent to her before his execution, was signed: from your Valentine.
Valentine’s day became popular in the 1700’s when craftsmen started to produce special cards made of ribbon, satin and lace. They were quite expensive until one clever American woman, Ms Esther Howland, started her own Valentine’s business producing the cards for 1 cent only.
St Valentine’s Day is not that widely celebrated like it is in America. According to some surveys over 15% of American single women will send flowers to themselves just to pretend that they have a boyfriend. More than 9 million pet owners are going to buy Valentine’s gifts for their pets. Also over $1 billion worth of chocolate will be purchased.
14th of February is also one of the most popular days to get engaged (after Christmas). Good luck then and we wish you all a lot of love J
Jack Vettriano "Dancing to the end of love"
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