| How Did Valentine's Day Cards Begin? |
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| ::darkshadows:: (bat@cave.org) |
2009/05/01 18:12 |
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From: "::darkshadows::" <bat@cave.org>
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Subject: How Did Valentine's Day Cards Begin?
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Date: Fri, 01 May 2009 19:12:55 -0500
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How did Valentine's Day cards begin?
Believing that birds began to mate on February 14, people in the
Middle Ages started the card tradition by sending love letters on that
day.
In the 15th century, singing and spoken valentines were slowly
replaced by written letters in Europe. The first written valentine is
credited to Charles, the Duke of Orleans, who wrote love poems to his
wife while he was in prison in 1415. By the beginning of the 16th
century, valentines were almost always written.
Early valentines were hand made on colored paper. Often they were
tinted with water colors and inks. Other types of valentines found
during this era were:
# Acrostic - the first line of the verses spelled out the recipient's
name
# Cutout - the paper was folded and cut into a lace-like design using
small, pointed scissors.
# Pinprick - using a pin or needle, tiny holes were punched in the
paper to make it look like lace.
# Theorem or Poonah - a stencil was used to help paint on designs that
stood for words. For example, the word foot would be replaced by a
picture of a foot.
# Puzzle Purse - the paper was a folded puzzle with verses written in
the folds. Each verse must be read in a specific order and the puzzle
refolded correctly.
# Fraktur - the letters were written in a decorative style to imitate
the illuminated manuscripts used in the Middle Ages.
The 1800s saw valentines made by factory workers. Black and white
pictures were painted by the workers in the early part of the century.
By the end of the 1800s, the cards were made by machines. These cards
were elaborately decorated with gold leaf, satin, lace and flowers.
In 1840, the first mass produced valentine's cards where made in
America. Esther Howland, who sold $5,000 worth of the cards in her
first year, created them.
Did You Know?
* In the United States over 1 billion valentine cards are sent
each year.
* Valentine's Day is celebrated in the United States, Canada,
Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.
* Parents get 1 out of every 5 valentines.
* Women buy 85% of all valentines.
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