Couples in love look forward to the 14th day of this month. But few are aware that Valentine’s Day is named after Valentine, a former bishop of Terni, Italy, who gained fame after curing epileptic children and for restoring sight to a blind person.
Since the Middle Ages this saint has been associated with courtship and love. Over the years, a custom developed whereby couples started to celebrate their love on this day. This custom reached Malta when British Services personnel stationed here started organising dinner dances and sending Valentine cards to their loved ones.
The day has many symbols associated with it, including doves and the winged cupid. But the most popular symbol is the heart, which represents love, understanding, courage, joy, devotion and sorrow. The heart was already a symbol of love in pre-Christian times but the advent of Christianity increased its popularity with the introduction of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that spread throughout the Christian world during the counter-reformation.
Croatia
Many countries have their own special customs to celebrate the day. A case in point is Croatia where they make gingerbread hearts called licitar. These are easily recognisable as they are red in colour and decorated with floral and geometric designs. Usually, they also come with small items like tiny pictures, small mirrors or a simple love message, written in verse.
Malta
The parish of Balzan is linked with the cult of St Valentine. The association started two centuries ago when Mgr Lorenzo Grech Delicata donated what is known as the Sacred Body of St Valentine to the parish church on January 16, 1820. The Monsignor brought this relic from Rome in 1784.
These remains are now conserved in an urn on one of the major side chapels inside the church. In the 1830s, St Valentine’s cult became wide spread among the parishioners and the saint became the village’s second patron saint.
Nowadays the feast is celebrated on February 14, as in former days. In his book Ħal Balzan, Mgr John Dimech says that the naming of children after St Valentine became very popular with the villagers.
England
In 18th century England, lovers started to express their love through flowers, confectionery and special greeting cards. These cards became known as Valentines.
Nowadays, lovers prepare a special card which is usually sent by post. The increase in mail led to the idea of creating special commmorative stamps to mark the day. Malta’s postal authority issued the first Valentine stamps in 2000. The Irish Post Office issues a Valentine stamp set annually.
Moreover, couples also buy a special gift to their loved ones. In the past, these consisted of roses, chocolates and perfumes. Lovers are now leaving the traditional gifts and thinking more in terms of buying each other useful objects like those related to hobbies and interests.