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3 Victorian Valentine's Day Traditions To Try This Year
Nicole Laidler • February 14, 2020
London Heritage Foundation - Blog
Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, which celebrated the coming spring (and fertility), but it was the Victorian’s who made it into the holiday we know today.
In England, before the invention of the modern postal system, most Valentines were simple sheets of paper, folded and sealed with wax. That all changed in 1840 with the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post, which meant that Valentine’s Day cards could be sent through the mail for just one penny. By 1871, the General Post Office in London (UK) handled more than 1 million Valentines a year. Now that’s a lot of love!
The tradition of sending cards to a beloved caught on in Canada and the US in the 1860s, but it wasn’t until 1913 that Hallmark got in on the action.
Today – in the age of swipes, snaps, texts, and tweets – sending a card through the mail may seem quaintly old-fashioned. But if you really want to make an impression on your Valentine, you might want to take a cue from the Victorians.
Here are three of our favourite Valentine’s Day traditions that deserve to be back in style:
Nicole Laidler is a freelance reporter and copywriter, serving clients in London, Toronto and throughout Southwestern Ontario. She helps people grow their success, one word at a time.
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