Dakotas conference elder explains Valentines Day
SIOUX CITY | Valentine's Day is the second most commercialized holiday behind Christmas.
The National Retail Federation says total Valentine's Day spending for 2017 is expected to hit a record $19.7 billion as Americans celebrate with candy, flowers, jewelry and, of course, greeting cards.
Bruce Forbes, a Morningside College professor and chair of religious studies, said he is often asked after a lecture whether Valentine's Day was just a holiday dreamed up by Hallmark Cards to make money.
"They did take advantage of it, and they advanced it, but they didn't start it," said Forbes, whose book "America's Favorite Holidays: Candid Histories" features a chapter on Valentine's Day.
Photo: Rev. Bruce Forbes, a Dakotas Conference elder who is a professor at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. File photo.
The suspected origins of Valentine's Day date back much farther than 1913, when Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Missouri, began producing its first printed valentines.
Forbes said some scholars link Valentine's Day with St. Valentine, a Roman priest who was imprisoned and executed on Feb. 14. St. Valentine defied an order from Emperor Claudius II, which banned all marriages and engagements in Rome to strengthen the army. St. Valentine continued to perform weddings and was beheaded for his misdeeds.
