In the Spring a young man’s fancy

Thus wrote Alfred Lord Tennyson in the nineteenth century. February 14th is St.. Valentine’s Day when young (and not so young) men and women will send some token of their undying love to the objects of their affection. It is a good time for the greeting cards, confectionery and floral industries. Flowers, chocolates etc., and cards adorned with hearts, flowers, turtle doves, cupids with arrows and the like are produced and sold by the thousand. The price of fresh flowers, particularly red roses will rocket. All this activity and expense is in the name of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers.

But who was Saint Valentine? This is not an easy question to answer. In 269, or thereabouts, a Roman priest and physician called Valentine was beheaded and buried on the Falminian Way on 14th February upon the orders of Claudius the Second. In 350 a basilica was erected there in his memory. However, also celebrated on the same day is another Valentine, one who was the Bishop of Terni. He too was beheaded in Rome - this time under the order of Placidus the prefect of Terni, and later his relics were translated to Terni. Many scholars now believe that these two Valentines were actually the same person; the Roman priest who had become a bishop. The reasons for the martyrdom are also unclear. One opinion was that Claudius had declared that Roman soldiers were not allowed to marry in the belief that this state would impede their ability to fight. Valentine is supposed to have married soldiers in secret until it was discovered. Another is that he and a friend Maurius helped persecuted Christians leave Rome for the comparative safety of the countryside. Even the whereabouts of his relics appear to be in doubt. One account states that they are in the church of St. Praxedes in Rome. However, from 1835 the relics of a Saint Valentine have been claimed by the Carmelite Church in Dublin. No churches in England have been dedicated to him.

What is the connection between this Roman martyr and lovers? Probably the date of his death, February 14th. A belief, held since medieval times, is that birds chose their mates on this day. The Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia was held on February 15th in honour of the goddess Februato June. The names or tokens of all the marriageable girls in the neighbourhood were placed in a love urn and the young men drew lots for their partners for the coming year. Gifts were also exchanged at this time. With the coming of Christianity, the festival of love transferred to St. Valentine’s feast day.

Some of the pagan traditions have survived through the centuries - the sending of gifts and the choosing of a Valentine. The first person of the opposite sex seen on Valentine’s Day was called a valentine. It was the time for marriage divination when young ladies ate unusual foods in the hope they would dream of their future husbands and placed strange objects under their pillows to achieve this a sprig of yarrow picked from a man’s grave on the night of February 13th for example.

It was also a time for the exchange of gifts. In Saxon England young men would give the girls of their choice a love token, often a pair of gloves which was a sign of authority in those days. In Norwich the custom was to give presents on St. Valentine’s eve. Packages containing all manner of gifts were left on doorsteps, usually bearing the message "Good-morrow to you Valentine" but not the sender’s name. Anonymity was all important. It was normal practice to leave the package on the step, knock on the door and then disappear. In other parts of the country it was customary to give presents, usually to the children. In Peterborough sweet plum buns (Valentine Buns) were eaten and in Uppingham gingerbread was given to lovers. In Rutland it was "Plum Shuttles" - lozenge shaped sponge cakes, shaped like a weaver’s shuttle. In the seventeenth century it was quite normal for respectable married couples to draw for her Valentine for the coming year. The lady would then expect to receive an expensive gift from their Valentine. Samuel Pepys reports in his diary that a certain Mrs. Stewart received a jewel worth £300 from the Duke of York one year and a ring from Lord Manderville the following year! Lucky lady!

Valentine cards made an appearance as early as the fifteenth century in the form of wood engravings.

Later on they appeared in paper form and hand painted copper plates which were very popular in aristocratic circles. It was the Victorians who excelled in the art of the Valentine card. These were often beautiful confections of velvet and lace and satin ribbon and sometimes had a secret panel hidden within. In here was placed the secret message to the loved one. The theory was that if her strict Victorian father first scrutinised the card, then he would not find anything untoward written in it and would then allow his daughter to receive it. I feel that there is a flaw in that logic, but that is what was believed. From this, and the early lottery pairing games comes the tradition still followed that Valentine cards were sent anonymously.

Although centuries have passed since the Romans enjoyed Lupercalia and young men no longer draw lots for their Valentine (at least, I don’t think that they do) the festival of love is still celebrated. As with Mothering Sunday it has become commercialised. The anonymous cards we send now carry all manner of messages - as with the Christmas card anything goes!. There are messages in the newspaper personal columns and on the Internet. (Personally I’d rather have a lace card from Victorian times but I’m old fashioned).

I shall leave the last word to Saint Valentine himself. There is a medieval legend about Valentine. While in prison awaiting execution, he left a note for the daughter of his gaoler, signing it "from your Valentine".