What is the origin of Valentine’s Day? Opinions differ about who was the original Valentine. The most popular theory is that he was a clergyman who was executed for secretly marrying couples in ancient Rome. Marriages at the time were forbidden by Emperor Claudius II, who felt it weakened his soldiers.
In A.D. 496, Catholic Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor a St. Valentine. Today the Catholic Church does acknowledge that at least one saint named Valentine did exist, maybe three. However, there is too much uncertainty surrounding the details. Therefore, there is not an official feast day in the Catholic Church.[1]
Valentine greetings have dated back to the Middle Ages. Written Valentine’s started to appear after 1400. The oldest known Valentine card (written in 1415) is on display at the British Library in London, England. The first commercial Valentine’s Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840′s by Esther A. Howland.[2] Today the day is celebrated in many countries with gifts, cards, notes of sentiment and candy.
Valentine’s Day Statistics
- 1 billion – The number of Valentine’s Day cards send each year in the United States.[3]
- 85% – The percentage of Valentine’s Day cards that are purchased by women.[4]
- 60% – The percentage of all Valentine’s Day cards that are purchased in the 6 days prior to observance.
- 26 pounds- Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2006.
- 6% – The percentage of currently married women who have been married for at least 50 years.
- 53% – The percentage of currently married women who have been married for at least 15 years.
- 120 – The Number of single men who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages.
- 34 - The Number of single men 65 and older for every 100 single women of the same ages.[5]
Best Valentine’s Day Movie Rentals
CLASSICS:
- Casablanca, 1942
- The African Queen, 1951
- Roman Holiday, 1953
- Sabrina, 1954
- An Affair to Remember, 1957
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s, 1961
HISTORY & ADVENTURE
- Doctor Zhivago, 1965
- Out of Africa, 1985
- The English Patient, 1996
- Emma, 1996
- Shakespeare in Love, 1998
- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, 2000
- Chocolat, 2000
- Pride & Prejudice, 2005
OFFBEAT
- The Princess Bride, 1987
- Say Anything, 1989
- When Harry Met Sally, 1989
- Out of Sight, 1998
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004
FOR THOSE NOT CELEBRATING
- High Fidelity, 2000
- Bridget Jones Diary, 2001
- Bridget Jones Diary: The Edge of Reason, 2004
- Kill Bill Volume 1, 2003
- Kill Bill Volume 2, 2004
[1] Calendarium Romanum(Libreria Editrice Vatican, 1969), p. 117
[2] American Greetings Research http://www1.americangreetings.com/index.pd
[3] The Greeting Card Organization http://www.greetingcard.org/
[4] The Greeting Card Organizationhttp://www.greetingcard.org/
[5] This statistic and the 5 preceeding are from the U.S. Census Bureauhttp://www.census.gov
