When The Sunflower needs a go-to guy to answer the tough, hard hitting questions, there’s only one person they can call.  So, naturally, when somebody said, “Hey, what’s the deal with Valentine’s Day, anyway?” I was the natural choice.  

There are three key factors that come into play when looking at Valentine’s Day:  St. Valentine himself, the symbolic heart, and the exchange of gifts between lovers.

St. Valentine is a tough guy to pin down.  There are three potential St. Valentines.  Valentine of Rome was a priest in Rome who was martyred in A.D. 269.  His flower-crowned skull is being exhibited at the Basilica of Santa Prassede in Rome. 

Valentine of Terni was a bishop who was martyred in A.D. 196.  His relics are at the Basilica of Saint Valentine in Terni.  

Finally, there’s another potential St. Valentine who was martyred in Africa along with his travelling companions—his head is currently being venerated in the abbey of New Minster, Winchester.

Well, the one conclusion we can draw from all this is that St. Valentine is definitely dead.  His connection to dealing in love letters and candy has gone sadly unrecorded.

So, what about the heart symbol?  It has been used to express love between two people (Joey hearts Katie), love in general (The Queen of Hearts), and tourism in New York City (I Heart NY).  However, most people agree that it looks nothing like a human heart.

What does it look like?  I’m too shy to say, but, here’s a clue:  Sir Mix-A-Lot likes them big.  You can trust him, because he cannot lie.

The exchange of Valentine’s cards goes back to the mid nineteenth century, when an improved postal service (and a significant reduction in postal rates) made the anonymous exchange of romantic notes easier.  This led to a brief surge in downright naughty cards, such as:

“Valentine, before I met you, I was troubled by evil thoughts.

Now I enjoy them.”

Fortunately, things settled down before the nation was swept away in a tidal wave of debauchery.  Valentines wound down to the more traditional and comic types we enjoy today.

So, enjoy Valentine’s day, but, keep your head on your shoulders.