We're officially creeping up on Valentine's Day, a holiday that's often maligned by its detractors for being too "commercial." But V-Day is actually an ancient holiday with a fascinating history!
The holiday is thought to have roots in the Ancient Roman Lupercalia fertility festival, celebrated annually February 13-15. The festival honored Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Its name is believed to have come from Saint Valentine of Rome, a 3rd-century priest who secretly performing weddings after Emperor Claudius II's banned marriages for young men.
Valentine's Day wasn't exclusively associated with romantic love until the tail end of the Middle Ages (15th century), when sweethearts first began exchanging hand-written notes and gifts on February 14. The earliest known "valentine" is allegedly a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orléans, to his wife while he was jailed in the Tower of London. By the mid-19th century, Valentine's Day had become a proper holiday, and around that time Esther Howland, known as the "Mother of the American Valentine," popularized mass-produced Valentine's Day cards in the U.S.
Now a modern celebration of romantic love, Valentine's Day has its traditional gifts: chocolate candy, flowers, and (our favorite) jewelry. We can wholly recommend Laderach and Friis-Holm Chokolade for chocolate, and Farm Girl Flowers for bouquets, and offer up the below baubles for your V-Day consideration.
To photo: Zahn-Z 'We Clicked' rings, $995 each. All images courtesy of the brands listed.
