Valentine's Day history, cards, and customs.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
What complicated Margery Brews's romance in her 1477 Valentine's Day letter?
Brews called John Paston III her 'right well-beloved Valentine'; after their families settled terms, the couple married.
Which sitcom inspired "Galentine's Day" as a celebration of friendship?
Leslie Knope hosts her friends on February 13, the day before Valentine's Day, in the show's original Galentine's Day episode.
Which entrepreneur became the "Mother of the American Valentine" after building a card business in Worcester?
Howland's New England Valentine Company became the first major U.S. commercial producer of valentines.
Which Korean observance follows Valentine's Day one month later with reciprocal gifts?
White Day began in Japan in the late 1970s and spread to South Korea as a commercially promoted gift-giving follow-up.
The traditional Christian feast of Saint Valentine falls on which date?
Two Valentine martyrs appear under February 14 in the Roman Martyrology, one linked to Rome and the other to Terni.
Which medieval poet linked St. Valentine's Day with lovers in Parliament of Fowls?
Chaucer's bird-filled poem gives the earliest known literary link between St. Valentine and lovers.
Victorian-era "vinegar valentines" usually carried what kind of message?
Cheap and often anonymous, vinegar valentines caricatured recipients instead of praising sweethearts.
What does Finland call February 14?
Finland's Ystävänpäivä includes friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, and romantic partners.
Which form did Charles d'Orléans use for eleven poems written for St. Valentine's Day?
Charles's collection includes eleven Valentine rondeaux and one ballade, alongside works by his correspondents.
In Ovid's Metamorphoses, what effect does Cupid's leaden arrow have on Daphne?
Cupid uses a golden arrow on Apollo to kindle love, setting up the story's one-sided pursuit.