When Esther Howland produced the first commercial valentines in America in the 1840s she had no idea what she had unleashed, but she was on to a good thing as sales that first year topped $5,000. 

The valentine card industry has been booming ever since, as more countries seem to take up the cause. In America alone, over 1 billion valentine cards change hands each year, making it the second only to Christmas and far outpacing Mothers’ Day. Around 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women.

Scholars tell slightly different versions of the history of the heart-shaped holiday. Some believe it started with the Roman feast of Lupercalia, an ancient pagan fertility celebration. During the festival, women would write love letters, also known as billets, and leave them in a large urn. The men of Rome would then draw a note from the urn and pursue the woman who wrote the message they had chosen. The custom of lottery drawings to select valentine notes continued into the 18th century, coming to an end when people decided they’d rather be a bit more selective.

There’s also some controversy regarding St Valentine, for whom the day is named. The Catholic church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred on February 14 - at least two of those in Italy during the 3rd century.

The most popular candidate for St Valentine was a 3rd century Roman priest who performed secret marriages against direct orders from Emperor Claudius II. Claudius apparently believed single soldiers were more likely to join his army. Legend has it that Valentine sent the jailer’s daughter a note signed “From Your Valentine” before he was executed on February 14 in 270AD. That phrase is still used prominently on today’s cards!

Early Christians were happier with the idea of a holiday honouring the saint of romantic causes than one recognising a pagan festival. In 496AD, Pope Gelasius named February 14 in honor of St Valentine, as the patron saint of lovers. In 1969 Pope Paul VI dropped it from the calendar. However, the blend of Roman festival and Christian martyrdom had caught on, and Valentine’s Day was here to stay.

Verbal and singing valentines began to be replaced by written missives in Europe in the 15th century. The first written valentine is usually attributed to the imprisoned Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415. He reportedly passed the time by writing romantic verses for his wife. By the 16th century, written valentines were commonplace.

Early valentines were made by hand, using colored paper, watercolors and colored inks. Some telltale signs of these early valentine cards can still be seen today. Pinprick valentines were made by pricking tiny holes in paper with a pin to resemble the look of lace. Cutout valentine cards were made by folding paper several times and cutting out a lace design with small, sharp scissors. Then there were acrostic valentines, verses in which the first letters in the lines spelled out the beloved’s name. 

In the early 1800s cards decorated with black and white pictures were painted by factory workers.  By the end of the century, valentines were being made by primitive printing presses. Sociologists say printed cards began to take the place of letters, particularly in Great Britain, because by then direct expression of emotions was not fashionable.

Manufactured cards notwithstanding, increasingly beautiful handmade Valentines were often small works of art, richly decorated with silk, satin or lace, flowers or feathers and even gold leaf. Many featured Cupid, the cherubic, bewinged son of Venus, and a natural Valentine’s Day “mascot”. Some of the more unusual valentines were created by lonely sailors during the Victorian era - they used a variety of seashells to create hearts, flowers and other designs, or to cover heart-shaped boxes.

No surprise that the heart became the symbol for the special day. The heart was thought in ancient times to be the source of all emotions. It later came to be associated only with the emotion of love. Some scholars speculate that the heart symbol as we use it, to signify romance or love, came from early attempts by people to draw an organ they’d never seen.

Through the centuries other symbols emerged. Red roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Also making the list of valentine favorites are tulips, lilies, daisies and carnations.

Lace has long been used to make women’s handkerchiefs. Hundreds of years ago, if a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man might pick it up for her. Sometimes, if she had her eye on the right man, a woman might intentionally drop her handkerchief to encourage him. So people began to think of romance when they thought of lace.

Love knots, a series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no end representing everlasting lov,e were made from ribbon or paper and today from pull tabs off beer cans.

Lovebirds were an obvious symbol because they sit closely together in pairs - like sweethearts do. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love, because they mate for life and share the care of their babies.

And then there is the “X” representing a kiss. This tradition started with the Medieval practice of allowing those who could not write to sign documents with an “X”. This was done before witnesses, and the signer placed a kiss upon the “X” to show sincerity. This is how the kiss came to be synonymous with the letter “X”, and how the “X” came to be commonly used at the end of letters as kiss symbols.

A variety of interesting Valentine’s Day traditions developed over time. For example, hundreds of years ago in England, children dressed up as adults on Valentine’s Day and went singing holiday verses from door to door. In Wales, wooden love spoons, carved with key, keyhole and heart designs, were given as gifts.

The gift of flowers on Valentine’s Day probably dates to the early 1700s, when Charles II of Sweden brought the Persian poetical art called “the language of flowers” to Europe. Throughout the 18th century, floral lexicons were published, allowing secrets to be exchanged with a lily or lilac, and entire conversations to take place in a bouquet of flowers. The more popular the flower, the more traditions and meanings have been associated with it.

Among early valentine gifts were sweets, usually chocolates, in heart-shaped boxes. Today, just about anything goes for a Valentine’s Day gift, depending on the recipient’s tastes.

But still, gifts of chocolates and flowers haven’t replaced carefully chosen cards on Valentine’s Day. Hallmark, the undisputed leader of the greeting card industry has manufactured valentine cards since 1915. 

Founder Joyce Hall started selling greeting postcards from two shoe boxes as early as 1910. The Nebraska teenager with the big ideas built a a global empire that now features 30 languages and sells them in more than 100 countries.

The modern valentine card has become increasingly sophisticated, keeping pace with popular technological advances. For example, there are cards that let you record a romantic message, “scratch-and-sniff” cards and cards that play romantic music.

And of course, you can send e-mail valentines. Some sites even offer free personal use of their illustrations or cards. Other technology allows you to send a romantic fax or videotape with a personal valentine message. But choose your valentine carefully - some people find fax and e-mail missives too impersonal and not private enough for this holiday of love.

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest!