Valentine’s Day didn’t begin with cards, flowers, and gestures of extravagant romance. It started centuries ago with courage and sacrifice - the acts of real, enduring love.
The story of St. Valentine tells of a brave priest in ancient Rome who quietly married couples at a time when marriage was forbidden. In honoring their love and commitment, he took an enormous risk. When he was caught, he was imprisoned and eventually executed on February 14. According to legend, just before his death, he wrote a parting note signed, “from your Valentine.”
Valentine’s Day was officially recognized in 496 CE, when Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 a feast day honoring St. Valentine, but the day's association with romance came much later. In Medieval times, poets began linking February 14 with courtly love and devotion. By the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in England and France, people were exchanging handwritten valentines. Finally, the Victorian era and later the commercialization of the 19th and 20th centuries turned it into the modern celebration of love that we know today.
But maybe it's time to revisit the day's roots and reflect a bit on how we're practicing the kind of love that St. Valentine shared with those young couples - a brave, selfless, hopeful love. A love that holds on, that evolves and endures, that transcends difference and time. A love that may struggle but ultimately prevails.
There’s a line from a protest song that echoes this feeling: Hold on, hold on my dear ones | Here comes the dawn. It reads like a quiet encouragement to keep the faith, muster the resolve, and make the choice that love requires of us, especially in difficult, uncertain times.
We can show this love in many ways, this St. Valentine's Day and everyday. Words, patience, presence, gestures - they're all part of a universal language that says "I'm here, I care, you matter."
Gifts, too, can be a meaningful expression of love when they're chosen with thoughtful care. If you're in the market for one, instead of roses and chocolates, consider something that, like love itself, is...
...timeless and transporting
...both delicate and strong
...earnest and sweet
...fun and optimistic
...deep and dreamy
...radiant and eternal
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And because we could all use a little more love these days, please use code LOVE for 20% off any jewelry purchase through Valentine's Day. We hope you'll find something that helps you experience the real meaning of this important day.