Who sent the first Valentine?

The first Valentine’s card that was decorated and poetic is attributed to the imprisoned Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415. He eased the pain of incarceration by writing love verses to his wife.

By the 1700s, manufactured cards became the most popular way to declare love. The cards were elaborately hand-painted and decorated with gold leaf, satins, silks, and exotic feathers.

Retailers now say that chocolates and roses are the best symbols of love. Candy or not, Feb. 14 remains the one day of the year for romance.

More 

When we give flowers on Valentine’s Day, we follow a tradition that dates back thousands of years. Folklore tells us, for example, that when Cleopatra gave a feast for Marc Antony, she covered the entire floor with a carpet of fresh roses. Poets use the connection between love and flowers in their work. Shakespeare mentions the rose more than 60 times in his plays and sonnets.

How did Cupid come to be associated with Valentine’s Day and cards? Cupid, represented by a cherub armed with arrows dipped in a love potion, is a figure of Roman mythology. According to those legends, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.

Why X stands for a kiss, and why is it disappearing?  During the Middle Ages, few people could read, and even fewer could write. On occasion, however, they had to sign an important paper. In this case, they would make an “X,” often in some distinctive way.

A solemn kiss was placed on the X to give further credence to the document. Over time, the X came to stand for a kiss, according to the Washington Post, but the X also stood for blessing in centuries past.

Though people sign with their names today, the X tells the receiver to visualize that kiss — not for the document, but for the receiver.

But that is one tradition that may come to an end. The X (accompanied by the more mysterious O, denoting a hug) is replaced entirely by emoticons or video images. Along with the decline in paper messages, the traditional XO is probably history.

And one more

Bad ideas for Valentine’s Day

• Don’t give the same Valentine you gave last year.
• Don’t buy a size too big. When in doubt, buy smaller.
• Don’t forget your wallet for that romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.
• Don’t leave your date alone with your parents, siblings, or pet. Too much reality, too soon.
• Don’t give household appliances for Valentine’s Day.
• Don’t give your partner a ring that was meant for someone else. At least get the inscription removed.