Valentine’s Day

More than 62% of Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day every year but do you know the origin of the holiday? The roots of Valentine’s Day go back to an ancient Roman festival that took place in February called Lupercalia. The Christian Church took this celebration, Christianized it, moved it to mid-February, and renamed it St. Valentine’s Day. Not a lot is known about the holiday’s namesake and there was more than one cleric named Valentine. Despite the ban on marriage of young Roman men, one of the Valentine’s performed a marriage ceremony. Valentine was later executed for this action and in the 5^th century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as a day to honor this Valentine. In the 1300’s the holiday was associated with romance and love. The first Valentine’s note appeared in the 15^thcentury and in the 17th century, Great Britain had adopted exchanging cards, notes, or letters for Valentine’s day. This tradition quickly caught on in the United States and in the 1840’s mass-produced Valentine’s cards were created. This became a major consumer holiday. Today, 1 billion Valentine’s cards are sent each year, 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold, and 220 million roses are grown purely for Valentine’s Day. On this holiday, American’s spend a total of $20 billion, or approximately $130 per person each year. The most popular gifts are candy and flowers, but nearly 20% of Americans purchase gifts of jewelry.

Happy Valentine's Day This Valentine’s Day, check out the wide assortment of gifts available at Buchheit for that special someone on your list. February 1^st through Valentine’s Day, we will have a free $5.00 gift card with the purchase of a $50.00 gift card. All regularly priced Montana Silversmith jewelry and accessories will be 20% off from February 1^st through February 20^th. There will also be specials on clothing, boots, flooring, and lawn and garden merchandise.