St. Valentine's Day Symbols
Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people worldwide. 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 holiday is named after two among the numerous 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.
Heart
It’s not clear when the valentine heart shape became the symbol for the Valentine’s Day. Some scholars speculate that the heart symbol as we use it to signify romance or love came from early attempts by people to draw an organ they’d never seen.
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Cupid
Cupid was the god of love in Roman mythology. The name Cupid is a variation on Cupido (“desire”), and this god was also known by the name Amor (“love”). It was commonly believed that Cupid was the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and this association between Venus and Cupid was quite popular in myth, poetry, literature, and art.
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Lace
Lace has long been used to make women’s handkerchiefs. If a woman dropped her handkerchief, a man might pick it up for her. Sometimes, if she had her eye on the right man, a woman might intentionally drop her handkerchief to encourage him.
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Love Birds
Lovebirds, colorful birds found in Africa, named because they sit closely together in pairs — like sweethearts do. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love, because they mate for life.
Love Knots
Love knots have series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no end. A symbol of everlasting love, love knots were made from ribbon or drawn on paper.
Red Rose
Red roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red is also a color that signifies strong feelings.
XXXXX
How about the “X” sign representing a kiss? This tradition started with the Medieval practice of allowing those who could not write to sign documents with an “X”. This was done before witnesses, and the signer placed a kiss upon the “X” to show sincerity. This is how the kiss came to be synonymous with the letter “X”, and how the “X” came to be commonly used at the end of letters as kiss symbols. (Some believed “X” was chosen as a variation on the cross symbol, while others believe it might have been a pledge in the name of Christ, since the “X” — or Chi symbol — is the second letter of the Greek alphabet and has been used in church history to represent Christ.)
