What Do We Know About the History of the Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day could easily be one of the most celebrated holidays around the world. The 14th of February is the perfect day of the year to express love to our significant others, crushes, friends, and family members in the form of flowers, gifts, chocolates, etc. Exchanging presents, cards, and love letters for the occasion is a fun process, but where do these traditions of Valentine's Day originate from?
There are three variations of the narrative behind the big question of 'Who was the real Saint Valentine?'. According to the Catholic Church, Saint Valentine was a priest in 3rd-century Rome under the reign of Emperor Claudius. He decided that the soldiers in the national army performed better if they remained single rather than married or in a relationship. That is why he forbade marriage for young men. The latter turned out to be unacceptable for Saint Valentine, and he continued to marry young couples under his blessings in secret.
Another version of the story suggests that Valentine used to free Christians from the prisons of Rome, and during his captivity, he sent small notes to his lover, often ending the letter signed as: 'From your Valentine.' That is probably why small letters and notes exchanged annually on the 14th of February are called 'Valentines.'
Even though we do not have the precise backstory after which Valentine we celebrate Valentine's Day, we know for sure that he was heroic. That's because he devoted himself to his object of love, and he might as well have encouraged others to be freely in love even though the 3rd-century Roman legislation did not give him a right to do so.
Since the 14th century, lovers have exchanged 'Valentines' to symbolically celebrate their affection for each other. Whether you have already found your significant other or you're willing to wish 'Happy Valentine's Day' to your crush this 14th of February, we've got you covered with the most heartwarming short Valentine's poems for her or him.
Follow the article for useful tips about how to construct funny Valentine's day messages, Valentine's day wishes, and paragraphs for either your romantic partner, family member or best friend.
Meanwhile, if you're a high-school student looking for samples to write about the history and significance of Valentine's Day, we have already prepared a Valentine's Day essay sample for you! You can just as well use our essay writer platform. Our experts are always ready to craft a perfect essay for you.
Celebrating Valentine's Day Around the World
Time by time Saint Valentine's Day became one of the most celebrated holidays around the world. Many countries worldwide differ in their traditional ways of celebrating and their selection of time frame for Valentine's feast day. Let's look closer at the distinct customs in different places.
Valentine's Day in the USA
Since the 19th century, people around the USA have celebrated Valentine's Day on the 14th of February. When it comes to school students, every one of them makes Valentine's Day wishes for their classmates and teachers. Therefore, Valentine's Day easily becomes the celebration of friendships among young children in elementary and secondary schools. Exchanging cards full of cute Valentine poems and heart-shaped candies, otherwise known as 'conversation hearts,' is an inseparable part of a cute Valentine's Day celebration in the USA. There is no such thing as 'too much candy' when it comes to American Valentine's Day. But a little chocolate and other sweet treats have been a typical way of sending lovely messages to lovers or crushes since the first mass-produced valentines in America.
In the USA, Valentine's Day is to celebrate romantic love and show adoration to family members, best friends, and, most importantly, dear parents. Americans usually express their gratitude and love towards them through small Valentine's day messages saying 'Happy Valentine's Day to the best mom in the world,' 'Happy Valentine's to the most caring grandma,' etc.
You can express love and devotion to your dear ones through gifts such as flowers or jewelry. Spending a romantic holiday at a nice restaurant is also typical for American couples on the 14th of February. Overall, they tend to openly and genuinely appreciate the existence of their beloved on the loveliest day of the year.
Spain's Valentine's Day
Unlike the USA, Spain varies in its way of honoring love since most Spanish people regard Valentine's Day as just another form of consumerism, otherwise known as mass-produced valentines. That is why they avoid buying gifts on Saint Valentine's Day, celebrated on different dates in each city. So, while people in Barcelona celebrate Valentine's on the 23rd of April, others in Valencia do the same on the 9th of October. For all the Spanish people out there, our service has prepared lines of heartfelt valentine paragraphs for April and October, which you can check out below.
Japan's Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day in Japan is not a single occasion. There are two distinct holidays for Japanese men and women to celebrate their love for each other; on the 14th of February, women turn to give gifts to their partners as a romantic symbol, while on the 14th of March, men do the same. However, the 14th of March is not just a regular Valentine's Day type; rather, it is known as the 'White Day,' which means that men prepare gifts dominated by white color for their lovers. So, while you prepare something white for your significant other, make sure to fill your valentine day speech with romantic poems to win the heart of the woman of your dreams.
France's Valentine's Day
French were prone to certain traditions like 'drawing for love' back in the day. People gave themselves the freedom to choose partners based on their preferences by calling out to each other from the windows. There was also a spark of witchcraft in the ancient Valentine's traditions. The lovers did not only express affection towards each other on Valentine's Day but also hatred. Desperate couples burned each others' images on a bonfire if their partners did not turn out as well as expected. Not even the longest Valentine's Day paragraphs could melt their hearts once they feel betrayed or disappointed by their partners. As we see, a typical French love story in the middle ages was full of drama.
Italy's Valentine's Day
Italians perceive the roots of Saint Valentine's Day as Spanish. That is why they ignored the value of gift-giving on Valentine's Day. Nevertheless, present-day Italy is completely different since couples have actively started exchanging typical Valentine's gifts like roses, candy, jewelry, chocolate, etc. It is worth mentioning that chocolate-covered hazelnut, called Baci Perugina, is a unique Italian type of candy for Valentine's Day. It's the type of chocolate reserved for the one and only person who has captivated the hearts of an Italian. So, if an Italian man or woman ever gives you the precious Baci Perugina, know that it's not just a regular type of chocolate. Baci Pergunas represent Valentine's Day in Italy.
Don't forget that our essay writing service has the perfect tools to craft a custom paper for the upcoming Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, you can verify our authors' qualifications by reading our piece on Othello summary.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Wednesday Addams
Mysterious, dark, and sarcastic
You’re the master of dark humor and love standing out with your unconventional style. Your perfect costume? A modern twist on Wednesday Addams’ gothic look. You’ll own Halloween with your unapologetically eerie vibe. 🖤🕸️
Rushing to Write a Perfect Essay?
You can use our service to your advantage any time of the day. With our help, you are guaranteed the best possible academic outcome.
Valentine's Cards: How to Greet
A few pointers on how to send heartfelt Valentine's Day greeting cards to your close ones would not be a dumb idea seeing that Valentine's Day is just around the corner. First, make it genuine. Start by reflecting on why this particular individual is important to you. The reasons might include their unique personality and physical characteristics, such as their kind spirit, caring nature, stunning smile, and whatever you find exquisite about that special person. You can even use special valentine's day greeting images to make their day brighter and more creative.
Valentine's Day Paragraphs
Although general tips like the one above may be beneficial, we have also prepared long Valentine's Day paragraphs that you can use to demonstrate how much you value your significant other.
I'm incapable of imagining myself not in love with you. My feelings for you are so fierce that I feel your presence wherever I go, and even when you are not with me, I feel like you are around. You are the soundtrack of my mind; the thought of you never leaves me. My Day begins and ends with you. I go to sleep feeling happy, knowing I will see you in my dreams. I have always wanted you to be my only Valentine, love you loads.
I admire your ability to remain calm in any situation. I admire your compassion and understanding. I never understand how you can be so certain about everything. I've given up figuring out where all that assurance comes from.
You look stunning each day, and your beautiful positive energy attracts me the most. You never fail to make me fall in love and let me see the world through rose-colored glasses.
Even though you are the most unromantic girl I have ever met, and you sometimes struggle with showing off the slightest bit of emotion, I still think that you are the most wonderful treasure I have been living for all this time.
You are the personification of love, and I will not give you up for anything in the world. I adore you and wish you the most romantic Valentine's Day ever.
May those Valentine's Day greeting card messages and paragraphs be the source of inspiration for you to create an ever-lasting impression on your person on the upcoming 14th of February. You can use more than one valentines paragraph to enrich your greeting and your valentine day speeches.
But, as we have already mentioned, this holiday is not only for lovers. If you are willing to project love and appreciation towards your buddies, we have prepared valentines day paragraphs for best friend as well:
You have been my friend through life's storms and uncertainties. We have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly together, and I can't imagine life without you. My dear friend, I love you eternally. Happy Valentine's Day.
I cannot help but think of the Day when our boyfriends will be present, and we will be able to spend Valentine's Day with them. Let's keep having fun together for now. Ladies, Happy Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day Poems
Poetry has always been the truest of art forms that allow us to show vulnerability and sentiments in the most emotional moments of our lives. Do you want to make your partner's upcoming Valentine's Day the most memorable? Writing down short valentines poems would project your feelings beautifully. While not everyone might be willing to write a poem themselves, we can still glance through the works of literary geniuses such as Lord Byron, Shakespeare, and Elizabeth Barrett. Their short valentines day poetry will fill you with enormous inspiration.
While it might be hard to describe the depth of love we might have for another person, Elizabeth Barrett has done it beautifully in her poem 'How do I Love Thee?'. Are you trying to be original while expressing your feelings? This cute valentine poem might do the trick for you:
'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach when feeling out of sight
For the end of Being and ideal Grace.'
Our loved ones are often perceived as the most beautiful creatures from our subjective point of view. Lord Byron caught this very eccentric feature of being in love in his poem 'She Walks in Beauty.' If you are looking for the perfect poem to light up the Day for the woman of your dreams, Byron's masterpiece would be a perfect valentine's poem for her:
Shakespeare, the father of English drama, further described how loving someone gives us a peculiar perception of our romantic partner and the outer world in his 'Sonnet 18'. In Shakespeare's period, it was unusual for women to be expressive regarding their affection for men. Nowadays, it is not the issue. So, you can use this and other sonnets as short Valentine's poems for him:
'Shall I compare thee to a summer's Day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date.'
One of the most prolific English Romantic poets, John Clare, has described the beauty of falling in love for the first time in his poem 'First love.' If you find yourself under the impact of inexplicable sensations while you see your first love walking by, or you feel your heartbeat becoming faster and faster as your daydream about them, you could just as well easily relate to the words of John Clare:
'I ne'er was struck before that hour.
With love so sudden and so sweet,
Her face bloomed like a sweet flower
And stole my heart away completely.'
One of the brightest stars of modern American literature, Langston Hughes, surely has felt the senselessness of time while dancing with his loved one. Writing down lines from his poem, 'Juke Box Love Song,' in your Valentine's day card and taking your loved one out for a dancing night would probably be one of the best ideas for Valentine's Day:
'Take Harlem's heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat,
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till Day,
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.'
Last but not least, Sidney Lanier has stunningly compared the meeting point of the sun, and the sea far on the horizon to the sweet kisses exchanged between her and her lover. If you are willing to break the silence and reveal your attraction to your crush symbolically on Valentine's Day, then Sidney's poem 'Evening Song' will be a perfect fit for your Valentine's Card:
'Look off, dear love, across the sallow sands,
And mark yon meeting of the sun and sea;
How long they kiss in sight of all the lands,
Ah! longer, longer we.'
Valentines Day Essay Sample
If the ideas mentioned above for Valentine's cards are insufficient and you have also been assigned to write an essay about the history valentine's day cards, or the holiday overall and its importance, we've got you covered! Using the information from the essay in your valentines speech would be just as impressive. If the following example does not meet your requirements, you can always buy essay where our writers can provide you with full service.
Final Thoughts
Since you made it to the article's final section, you have probably set your heart to making the upcoming holiday most memorable for your loved one with our paragraphs for valentines day. Know that our writers are always willing to construct the perfect valentines day essay for you at any time of the Day!
And if you've been assigned to write a definition essay on any topic, you can peacefully browse through our definition essay topics. We believe that our constructed tips will be helpful for you.
Want to Invoke a Writer in You For the Upcoming Valentine's Day?
We are happy to offer you ourcustom writing service with the experts crafting an ideal essay for you.
Adam Jason
is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.
Opinion EssayPersonal EssayPersuasive EssayProcess EssayReflective EssayReflection PaperSAT EssayScholarship EssaySynthesis EssayThematic Essay