How did Saint Valentines Day spread?
Saint Valentine’s day was carried by Christians as they spread their faith across Europe. The day became especially popular in England and France. During the Middle Ages, when few people could read or write, friends said or sang their Valentines to each other. The earliest written Valentines come from the fifteenth century, and were written from prison by the French royal, Charles, Duke of Orleans. In 1415 Charles was captured by the English at the battle of Agincourt. While imprisoned in the Tower of London he composed some beautiful Valentines. In British literature, the day was noted by William Shakespeare in Hamlet: Good morrow! ’tis Valentine’s Day… And I a maid at your window, to be your Valentine.Why is the letter ‘X’ associated with a kiss? People who affectionately sign ‘XXX’s to Valentine cards and letters are generally unaware that the custom dates back to the early Christian era, when a cross mark, or an ‘X’ conveyed the force of a sworn oath. The cross referred to both t
