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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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St Valentine's Day
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(Feb. 14)
The lovers' day, deriving ultimately from a Roman fertility festival, the Lupercalia, which was held on February 15. St Valentine's was the nearest available Christian feast day; it is said to commemorate two early Christian martyrs, both called Valentine, but history records no trace of either. In medieval France and England St Valentine's day already had its modern connotation – explained at the time as deriving from the example of the birds, which begin at this season to look for a mate.
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The two main features were a partner for the day chosen by lot (a flirtatious game surviving until quite recent times) and a love message or 'valentine' sent anonymously. The latter led to a profusion of elaborately printed cards in the mid-19C. Valentine cards were eclipsed later in the century by the success of the *Christmas card, but they have become widely popular again in the second half of the 20C. A modern Valentine custom is the sending of exotic messages of love through the personal columns of newspapers.
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