This romantic day has been a favourite annual celebration of mine since I was old enough to appreciate the modern meaning behind it.  Waiting patiently for the postman to deliver the mail, holding my breath in eager anticipation of receiving a a special card or flowers.  Sometimes being ecstatic at this token of affection from my current boyfriend or feeling the disappointment of not having this day to share with someone special.  We often forget that sending a Valentine love greeting to those friends and family that mean a lot to us can be much appreciated and that St Valentines Day is not only for lovers but for all the people that hold a special place in our hearts.

Here are some of my favourite Valentine Day Poems.

Where did Valentines Day originate?

Although there is much mystery surrounding the origins of Valentines Day, the myths certainly emphasise his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

St Valentine is the name of two early Christian martyrs.  Some believe that Valentines Day was named after Saint Valentine, a martyred Roman who refused to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D. History also says that St Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine".  However, there appears to be no connection between lovers of either of the saints and the association is probably an example of a Christian feast by chance coinciding with a pre-Christian pagan one.

Throughout the centuries Valentines Day and its patron saint has long been associated with Christian and Roman traditions, with claims on where and when this day originated being laid in various countries and centuries. The biggest attraction to St Valentines Day is the mystery and romance that surrounds it.  St Valentines Day is a festival of lovers and has been at least since the 15th century.  A 'Valentine' was originally a chosen lover of either sex, but is nowadays a card or other form of love tokens sent, often anonymously, to someone of one's choice. 
Whilst in the Tower of London, Charles, Duke of Orleans wrote a valentine poem to his wife, it was written by around 1415 and is said to be one of the oldest known. King Henry V hired John Lydgate to write a valentine note on his behalf to Catherine of Valois.
It wasn’t until about the seventeenth century that Britain first began to celebrate Valentines Day in earnest and by about the middle of the eighteenth century, celebrations were common amongst lovers across all social classes. Small tokens of affection and love notes were exchanged.

Later, improvements in the printing process enabled printed cards to become fashionable, together with the new penny post system, so that sending Valentine Day card became easy and affordable.
The Victorian era took to the idea with gusto and many tokens of love and cards from this time still exist today. The strict censure of this era meant that open displays of affection were very much frowned upon, sending ready made cards anonymously was a way of declaring your love for someone without fear the critics. The Victorian style of hearts, flowers and cupids is copied and reproduced today and personifies the romance of this day.

In America, Valentine Day celebrations became popular about the same time as Britain. Esther Howland was the first person to make mass produced valentine day cards and today it is estimated that about 1 billion valentine cards are sent each year, this makes Valentines Day second only to Christmas in the card sending stakes. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of Valentine Day cards!
 

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