"(Saint) Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by
many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional
day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending
Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery.
The day was originally a pagan festival that was renamed after two
Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated
with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High
Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love
notes in the form of "valentines". Modern Valentine symbols include
the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid.
Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to
mass-produced greeting cards.[1] The sending of Valentines was a
fashion in nineteenth-century Great Britain, and, in 1847, Esther
Howland developed a successful business in her Worcester,
Massachusetts home with hand-made Valentine cards based on British
models. The popularity of Valentine cards in 19th-century America
was a harbinger of the future commercialization of holidays in the
United States.[2]
The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one
billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the
second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas.
The association estimates that, in the US, men spend on average
twice as much money as women.[3]" (Source: "Valentine's Day."
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 14 Feb 2009, 16:05 UTC. 14 Feb
2009 <
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valentine%
27s_Day&oldid=270681039>. )