St. Valentine's Day
falls on February 14, and is the
traditional day on which lovers in certain cultures let each other know about
their love, commonly by sending Valentine's cards, which are often anonymous.
The history of Valentine's day can be traced back to an obscure Catholic Church
feast day, said to be in honor of Saint Valentine. The day's associations with
romantic love arrived after the High Middle Ages, during which the concept of
romantic love was formulated.
The day is now most closely associated with the mutual
exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine
symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid.
Since the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes has largely given
way to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards. The Greeting Card
Association estimates that, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine
cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending
holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association also estimates that women
purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
