Homer Smith Insurance Blog

Valentine’s Day is celebrated every February 14, across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.  It is a triumph of love and commerce that has been part of our history since the 14th century or so.  Valentine’s Day is one ancient holiday.

On the commerce side, somewhere around 1 million cards will be sold and exchanged in the United States alone on Valentine’s Day - a lot of cards and a lot of postage.  In popular order, cards will go to teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.  What, you say you didn’t get Fluffy a card?

It is also a boon for the flower folks.  In the U.S. alone, over 100 million roses will be sold over a three-day Valentine’s period this year. Countless restaurants, resorts, bed and breakfasts and other romantic venues will host Valentine’s Day celebrants and jewelers everywhere are smiling.

So, how did we get here?  Well, we sort of know.  The day itself is named after St. Valentine, clear enough, except the Catholic Church recognized three saints named Valentine – all coincidentally martyred on or around February 14th – in different years, of course.  The prime suspect is the Valentine martyred in 270 AD for marrying Roman soldiers without the permission of Claudius II.  Claudius evidently believed married soldiers were more concerned about their wives and families than the welfare of Rome.

The church got its revenge a few hundred years later in 496 AD when Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia – a Roman feast day (maybe a 3-day party) into a Christian feast day and set its observance on February 14 in honor of Saint Valentine.

Valentine’s Day entered our western traditions in the 14th century according to medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of "Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine" who credits Chaucer with linking St. Valentine's Day to romance. In medieval France and England,  birds were thought to mate on February 14 and Chaucer used bird images as  symbols for lovers in poems dedicated to the day. 

"For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate." (Chaucer "The Parliament of Fowls")

This simple beginning gave rise to the exchange of notes between lovers on that day and by the 18th century this had evolved in England into gift-giving and the exchange of hand-made cards on Valentine's Day. Cards were hand made of lace and ribbons and featured cupids and hearts.  The tradition spread to the American colonies and by the mid-1800’s Valentine's Day greeting cards were being produced commercially here. 

The first American Valentine's Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howland of Worcester. Mass. She evidently received her first English valentine after her graduation from Mount Holyoke College and thought it would be neat to make some herself.  Esther imported paper lace and floral decorations from England, designed some cards and began taking orders for valentines. The business grew. She invited friends to help and grew her home business to $100,000 annually and sold the business to the George C. Whitney Company in 1881.  George was big on flowery verses which helped boost sales and Valentine’s Day was well on its way.  This year the National Retail Federation figures the average person will spend $126 on loved ones for Valentine's Day.

At Homer Smith Insurance, we can wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day, but we can’t guarantee it or insure it.  We can help you get Washington insurance for your home, car, motorcycle, boat or business as well as plenty of other coverage important to your life and that ought to make you and your valentine very happy!