Paris is known as the city of love, and France is famous for love, so it’s not too surprising that it is thought that the first-ever Valentine’s Day card originated in France. At that time, Charles, the Duke of Orleans was in prison as a prisoner of war. He spent 25 years there, and he sent love letters to his wife from there in 1415. These days, the French village called “Valentine” turns into the epicenter of romance between the 12th and 14th of February. Everyone gets in on the fun. Yards, trees, and homes, are decorated with love cards, roses, and proposals for marriage. It seems like everyone gets in on the fun, making it one of the most beautiful Valentine’s Day traditions in the world. And it all started from a prison cell. Charles was allowed to live in relative freedom, and could even write letters, but he was not allowed to go free or be ransomed for almost 25 years. Sadly, his wife Bonne of Armagnac, the daughter of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac, died before he returned from captivity. So, while he was rather famous for his letters and poems to her, they did him no real good. Still, their love was an unending love.
Sadly, some valentines have good endings and others don’t, but the idea of valentines, and Valentine’s Day is as timeless as the love between Charles and Bonne. Every year, couples exchange things like cards, candy, flowers, and gifts to show their love for one another. Many of these gifts are exchanged over a nice dinner and wine. Other times, the dinners might be held at home, even including the children of the couple. It doesn’t 
really matter how it is done…the idea is to celebrate the love the couple has for each other. Some people might think the tradition is silly, but usually those are the people who don’t have anyone to spend the day with. Some people think that it has become too commercialized, and maybe it has, but as commercialization goes, this one seems to be the sweetest. Happy Valentine’s Day!! I hope yours is very special.
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