The Name Drawing Tradition Of Rome

Name drawing took place on 14th February when each boy would randomly draw the name of one of the girls from a jar. This pairing was intended to last only a short time during the festival of Lupercalia beginning on the 15th February but often the boy and girl paired together would remain partners for the full year and on occasion even fell in love and got married.

The Banning Of Engagement And Marriage

However, this only marks the date as being an important one and does not give rise to any of the customs that we currently partake in. St Valentine himself is believed to have been a priest during the times of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius had been struggling to persuade potential soldiers to leave their loved ones and families. However, Romans lived in dangerous times that involved a lot of bloody and potentially lethal wars. In order to increase the size of his army, Claudius banned engagements and marriages.

Valentines Part In The Story

One priest, named Valentine, disagreed with this ruling and risking his own life he secretly married couples despite the ban being in place. On 14th February in the year 240, Valentine was arrested and sentenced to death. He was beaten to death with clubs and subsequently had his head cut off. Some versions of this story also state that Valentine himself had fallen in love with the jailor’s daughter and as such left a note that read ‘from your Valentine’.

Sending Cards

Whether this story is genuinely true or not, it is very difficult to say. It certainly explains the name, the date and the traditional message ‘from your Valentine’. The giving of Valentine’s cards, however, is often attributed to an American lady called Miss Esther Howland. It is believed she sent the first Valentine’s cards in the early 1800s, a tradition that has not only continued but has also evolved ever since. Valentines Day has very much become a commercial day with the sending of cards to loved ones as well as gifts and flowers.

Other Traditions

There are a great many traditions that have developed and disappeared over time in different countries around the world. For instance, in Wales, the traditional gift for a Valentine was a carved spoon adorned with keys, locks and hearts. This gave the message ‘you unlock my heart’. In Middle Ages, men would randomly draw names of women from a bowl. They would then wear this name on their sleeve. Clearly this act was based on the Roman tradition of name drawing on the same date.

Order Your Valentines Roses NOW . . ..