Heart of the Matter

Feb. 8, 2009

Perhaps the most identifiable symbol of Valentine’s Day is the heart. Whether red, pink, sprinkled with glitter, puffed out and 3D in shape, or hastily jotted at the bottom of a greeting card, the heart is the universal symbol of what some people think is a mere Hallmark holiday and others think is a beautiful way to celebrate your marriage or coupledom.
But much like St. Valentine himself - somewhat vaguely perceived by Americans as the patron saint of love, romance, and boxes of chocolates, but more likely a religious martyr who was beheaded by Emperor Claudius for sticking to his religious beliefs - there’s more than meets the eye where the Valentine’s heart is concerned.

EARLY HEARTS
Valentine’s Day harkens back to the Roman Empire, with the February 14 date having several legends associated with it. In one, we revisit the aforementioned martyr, St. Valentine, who was said to have died on February 14, the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. The 14th was also said to be a holiday to honor Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses, also known as the goddess of marriage.
The first concrete indication of associating Valentine’s Day with hearts and poetry is thought to be in a Chaucer (Geoffrey) poem written in the 1300s to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia - the poem read in part: “For this was seynt on Volantynys Day, whan euery bryd comyth there to chese (choose) his make (mate).”
The first mass-produced paper-lace valentines, however, weren’t sold in the U.S. until around 1847 - so obviously there must have been whole lot of heartfelt - and handmade - Valentines crafted in the years between.

TURTLE HEARTS?
The heart is the organ responsible for moving blood through the arteries and veins, with the average human heart beating at around 72 bmp, and totaling 2.5 billion beats in the average lifetime. Pretty non-romantic stuff. But the heart - meaning - has been used for ages as a symbol to refer to the spiritual, emotional, and moral core of human beings.
Even farther back, the heart was thought to be the seat of the human mind; Aristotle was one of only many classical philosophers who considered the heart the “seat of thought, reason, or emotion” as opposed to the brain.
That traditional heart shape, though, is questionable, as it doesn’t resemble the human heart very well - it was thought by some to better resemble a cow’s heart (probably because that’s one of the few hearts the average farmer would actually get a chance to see), but it’s really closer in shape to the three-chambered heart of... a turtle. We won’t tell Hallmark just yet.

RED HEARTS
And what of the heart’s typical red color on all manner of Valentine’s cards and decorations? Well, the first association is the most obvious one - the blood that’s pumped through the body by the heart. But red is also, in what’s termed “color psychology” (a field of psychology that analyzes the effect of color on human feelings and behavior), used to denote danger, due in part to the fact that red is said to have the illusion of appearing closer than other colors, giving it greater impact - makes sense, given the closeness of love, that urgent feeling to get back to the one you love, and the need to quickly “win” one’s beloved over. Several studies have indicated that red carries the strongest reaction of all colors - definitely noticeable, as you’d want to be to your intended crush. Many fruits - apples in particular - also indicate their readiness with their ripened red color - as in, “hey, look at me! Pick me!” pretty much literally.
The popularity of red ranges worldwide, too, confirming red’s positive meaning on hearts and other symbols well beyond the U.S. In China, red is the symbol of fire, and is a positive color, associated with weddings, courage, loyalty, fortune, success, happiness, honor, and fertility; but don’t write someone’s name in red ink in China, as that means the opposite of love - instead, it means that you are either cutting that person out of your life, or that they’ve died. Japan favors red, as well, considering it the traditional color for a heroic figure; in India, red is the traditional color of bridal dresses and is the color of wealth, beauty, and again fertility; and parts of the African culture see red as a symbol of life and health - perhaps another blood reference - and paint their warriors with red during celebrations. And red is one of the most common colors used on flags around the world, pretty much universally carrying the meanings of the blood, sacrifice, and courage of those who defended their respective countries.
So taking into consideration the other legends/character attributes we’ve already mentioned about the heart, red just makes sense. Sure, those hearts pop up in trendy colors of pink or orange sometimes - but red is really it, given all the evidence outlined above. Love is life, love takes courage, love sometimes takes sacrifice, love definitely involves loyalty and happiness, and it is good fortune to have love - so how could love’s “official” heart symbol be any color other than red?

CHALLENGING HEARTS
A red heart pierced by Cupid’s arrow is another heart symbol associated with Valentine’s Day - and it’s another symbol that no one ever really thinks about. The arrow-pierced heart means that when someone presents their love (heart) to another, that person takes the risk of being rejected and feeling hurt (arrow), so the arrow-pierced heart symbolizes the vulnerability and/or death of love. In a more positive view, some people also think the heart and arrow symbolize the uniting of male and female. Red flowers are the flower of choice for Valentine’s Day - yes, there’s that red color again - because the red rose was believed to be the favored flower of Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love, so it became universally accepted as the “Valentine’s Day flower.”
And, as far from flowers as you can get is the opposite end of the heart spectrum - the heart as a challenge (wait, that’s not so much unlike romance after all... well, anyway). An indicator of bravery - or, at the very least, some extreme dining - Chef/author/Food Network/Travel Network renegade Anthony Bourdain tried the Vietnamese custom of eating a still-beating cobra heart on one of his shows. Bourdain said that eating the cobra heart was “a lot like eating a small, very angry, and rather athletic oyster.”
Well, that was to be expected, Mr. Bourdain. Any heart, literally or figuratively speaking, would object to being consumed with such flippancy, even by an esteemed chef. Perhaps it’s better - and more Valentine-like - to stick to a nice, safe heart-shaped cake with - of course - red icing.