Valentine's Day Cards
Valentine’s Day Cards
Wear your heart on your sleeve with these Valentine’s Day cards and their messages of Be Mine and Be my Valentine. Cover them with little crosses to signify kisses, and send them winging on their way.
Did You Know
In the Middle Ages, people who could not sign their name would sign with a cross. So the cross became associated with a declaration. And from there to a declaration of love.
Wearing Your Heart On Your Sleeve
A person declares their love with a Valentine’s Day card. Some people send their card anonymously. In that case we might tell them that faint heart never won a fair lady. If they sign their name and let the recipient know who they are – we say they wear their heart on their sleeve.
Strips Of Paper Valentines
In the Middle Ages, people took strips of paper and wrote down the names of people to whom they were attracted. Then they put the strips of paper in a bowl and drew out one. That would be their valentine. During the week around Valentine’s Day they take that strip of paper pinned to their sleeves for all to see. And that is the origin of wearing your heart on your sleeve.
The Origin Of Valentine’s Day
In ancient Rome they celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia on February 14th in honour of the goddess Juno. Juno was the queen of the gods and the goddess of women and marriage. She was also the queen of Roman gods and goddesses. And we know there was a Valentine who was martyred.
But trying to weave Valentine into the celebration of the day gets murky. Some sources claim that Pope Gelasius I established the holiday in at the end of the Middle Ages in honour of the martyr Valentine.
King Henry VIII
Other sources claim that King Henry VIII declared the holiday in 1537. Whatever the truth, we know that in 1969 Pope Paul VI ordered the holiday taken out of the General Roman Calendar of saints.
The Box Of Chocolates
The box of chocolates that a person might present to their Valentine has a history in medicine. In the 1800s a doctor might prescribe chocolate to someone pining for a lost love. From there is was a small step to Richard Cadbury of Cadbury’s chocolate fame. He is the founder of the company that produced the first commercial box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day.
Our Valentine’s Day cards
There are currently twenty cards in the range. There are hearts all aflutter and heart-shaped balloons in the Clouds. Then there are admonitions not to sit under the apple tree with anyone else but the sender. For those who like to be tickled we have Quill with its promise to tickle one another happily every after.
For Guinea Pig Lovers
And for guinea pig lovers, we have a card name ‘Shy. In this card a little piggy says it is a bit shy about asking but would the recipient like to be its valentine? And then we have ‘Stars’ and a message picked out in the heavens. It reads that it is written in the stars! Be my valentine.