Printable Valentine Cards

Printable Valentine Cards

: free valentine greeting cards to print at home. Read about valentines day traditions and find valentine sayings to add to your card.

You can skip straight to the printable valentine cards at the bottom of this page or find some ideas for valentine sayings further down the page.

A Very Brief History of Valentines Day

Good morning to you, valentine,
Curl your locks as I do mine.
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.

This is a verse once sung by English children, as they went from home to home, dressed up as adults in one of many Valentines day traditions that were celebrated over the centuries throughout Europe.

St Valentine's day itself dates from Roman times when a Priest called Valentine was martyred in 270 AD. February 14th was chosen to be his day by the early Christians. It's possible that the love aspect of the day came from Valentine himself who was martyred for performing secret Christian marriage ceremonies, but it could have come from a number of sources. In Rome, there was a lover's rite where young men picked, at random, the name of a young woman to be his partner for the year. There were also many love rites throughout Europe. The beginning of spring was just around the corner and this must certainly have something to do with the fact that the Valentines day traditions were celebrated in February.

The person credited with sending the first written valentine wishes is the French duke, Charles of Orleans, who is said to have sent a love letter to his wife in 1415 whilst held in the tower of London. After this, the custom spread through Europe, spreading to the USA in the early years of the 18th Century.

Valentine Sayings

Here some ideas for valentine sayings and verses to put in your card. These would be good in any of the printable valentine cards, but there are more specifically vintage sayings on the vintage valentine cards page.

Many are the starrs I see, but in my eye no starr like thee. - English Saying

Loving is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction.- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind. - William Shakespeare

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love. - Sophocles

Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine,
llove, thou art every day my Valentine!
- Thomas Hood

Tell me how many beads there are
In a silver chain
Of evening rain,
Unravelled from the tumbling main,
And threading the eye of a yellow star: -
So many times do I love again.
- Thomas Lovell Beddoes

Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.
- Robert Browning

Printable Valentine Cards

If you decide to download any of these valentine greeting cards, take a look at the downloading and printing tips.

Downloading and Printing Tips