Features

Presidents' Day is celebrated on the third Monday of February each year. Presidents' Day originated in the 1800s from Washington's birthday but eventually transitioned into an American holiday that honored presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who were both born in February. The day is recognized as a celebration of the birthdays and lives of all U.S. presidents. Presidents' Day this year is celebrated on Monday, February 21, 2022. Historically, people celebrate with parades and patriotic festivities with family and friends.

As we all know, Valentine's Day is a day when you shower your significant others, friends, and family with love, affection, and gifts. So even though Valentine's Day is a romantic and beautiful holiday, believe it or not, the first Valentine's Day card was written from prison. It was Charles, Duke of Orleans, who wrote a love letter to his second wife at the age of 21. The prison it was written from was at the Battle of Agincourt. He was a prisoner for more than 20 years, so he was never going to be able to see his wife open the beautiful romantic card he wrote. 

Now let’s talk about a cool fact that has to do with love; the term “Wearing your heart on your sleeve” originated from a time during the Middle Ages when men would write the names of the women that they would be coupled with for the upcoming year while attending a Roman festival that was honoring Juno. After they chose their Valentine they would wear their names on their sleeves to show the bond during the festivities. Pretty romantic right? 

Now lastly, you know whenever you're talking to a friend or your significant other and you do “XO” meaning kisses and hugs? Well, “X” didn’t always mean kiss; it first represented Christianity or the cross in the Middle Ages. At the same time, the symbol was used to sign documents. So after marking it with an “X,” the writer would kiss the mark as a sign of their oath. That gesture then grew among kings and commoners to certify letters, books, and paperwork. This was then described as “Sealed with a kiss." So then over time, people just started using the symbol “X” as a sign for kisses. 

Now as you see, there's so much history about Valentine's Day and the romance we use for Valentine's Day!