Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day (also called Saint Valentine's Day) is a day set aside in most of the Western world for the celebration of romantic love. It is almost universally celebrated on 14th February.

Valentine's Day is traditionally celebrated by the exchange of cards, often anonymously, gifts, flowers (in particular red roses by the dozen, although black roses find favour with some) and confectionery (candies, sweets or chocolates), as well as romantic candlelit dinners for two. It dates back at least as far as the Middle Ages and the flourishing of courtly love.

Traditionally, love notes were exchanged. Increasing commercialisation explains why nowadays we are all familiar with the hearts, flowers and cute little Cupids which decorate mass produced greetings cards. Sales of Valentine's cards around the world are estimated to exceed one billion, 85% of them purchased by women, and many restaurants rely on Valentine's Day profits to balance their books.

History of Valentine's Day

In the year 496 Pope Gelasius the first declared 14th February the Feast of St Valentine in honour of a martyr by the name of Valentine who is said to have been killed on that date.

Poor Valentine was demoted by Pope Paul VI in 1969, but the celebration of his day still continues, though it's no longer called "Saint" Valentine's Day (officially).

Although the tradition of giving love notes or tokens associated with Valentine goes back a long way, where the idea came from is something of a mystery. Some say the celebration is associated with the Lupercalia, an ancient festival once celebrated on 15th February each year in which both sacrifice and flagellation were used to ensure fertility. There is also a tradition which says that St Valentine secretly helped to arrange marriages for Roman soldiers, despite their prohibition by Emperor Claudius II.

The first documented reference linking St Valentine with romantic love is in Geoffrey Chaucer's “Parlement of Foules” published in 1382:

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese (chose)
His make (mate)

The poem was written in honour of the anniversary of the engagement of Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.

The earliest surviving Valentine dates from 1415 – a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife whilst he was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

Most of the myths and legends associated with St Valentine stem from this period. One tells of the passing of a love note to his jailer's daughter saying "from your Valentine" on the eve of his execution.

In the USA, the Valentine's Day greeting card business was inspired by a Valentine's greeting from an English businessman. The daughter of a printer and bookstore owner, Esther Howland, received it in 1846 and was inspired by it. She created cards of embossed paper lace, asking her brother (who worked as a travelling salesman for the family firm) to take these samples out with him. The orders received were so unexpectedly high that she was forced to create an assembly line to fulfil demand. The rest, as they say, is history.

Valentine's Day around the world

In Spain, loving couples make a point of spending Valentine's day together, even though it is not an official holiday. Flowers and other gifts are traditionally exchanged, with the most popular flower being the rose.

In Japan and Korea women give gifts to male colleagues at work, often at great personal expense (the practice being seen as an obligation) and this has spawned White Day on March 14th when the males reciprocate.

The Night Of Sevens is a day in the Chinese Calendar related to love (not celebrated on the same date as Valentine's Day).

Despite strong disapproval, Valentine's Day has become very popular in many Muslim countries, and there are variations on the idea in Israel, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Finland, Norway, Slovenia and Romania, among others.

An intimate dinner for two

If you find that you've left it too late to book a table in your favourite restaurant, you can always choose the even more romantic option of a private dinner for two in your own home. Granted, it takes a bit of preparation, but the results should be well worthwhile if you plan carefully.

If your cooking isn't all that great, you should choose something simple, like a roast, and make sure the other courses are something you can prepare in advance. A spring chicken (that is, a bird weighing about 2-2½ lbs) is just right for two people, or for something more unusual, you could choose a roast pigeon. These don't take long to cook, so you should probably wait until your date arrives before you turn the oven on. (Tip: If you're roasting potatoes at the same time, you need to pre-cook them for a little while if they are to be ready to eat at the same time as the meat, and so that they don't discolour before the heat is turned on.)

While you are waiting for the main course, you could share a glass of champagne and a cold starter, such as avocado mousse (reputed to be an aphrodisiac) or Parma ham with melon. For dessert, a raspberry sorbet is light and refreshing, but not too filling. An exotic fruit salad containing slices of passion fruit or star fruit is another possibility.