Month: January 2025

Valentine’s Day Ecards History

Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day

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Besides Christmas, for which holiday do people buy and send the most greeting cards? You guessed it, St. Valentine’s Day! We know some of the history of Valentine’s Day, but when did people start traditionally sending Valentine’s Day cards? Before the 1400s, people recognized St. Valentine’s Day only by orating their Valentine in song or speech. The only record that we have of the first handmade “card” written for Valentine’s Day is from the 1400s and is preserved in a British Museum.

These handmade Valentine’s were popular in Europe in lieu of gifts, but it wasn’t until the 1800s that Valentine’s Day cards started to be mass produced by factory workers. These cards were very elaborate and delicate at the same time, some proving to be very expensive, and all had to be hand delivered. Some were embossed in gold, others were 3-D, and a few even had movable parts!

The Valentine craze hit America around the 1800’s, and they became even more popular in 1840 when the world’s first postage stamp was introduced. This of course made it possible to send the cards rather than hand deliver, however hand delivering them may have proven to be more romantic! A woman by the name of Esther Howland was one of the first to create and sell Valentine’s in the US in the 1850s. Her cards and others were hand painted and decorated with frilly accessories, but by the end of the 19th century most cards were mass produced by machines.

Esther Howland probably never in her wildest imagination could have foreseen that her first cards would ultimately lead to e-cards; cards sent to loved ones via an invisible highway known as the internet. But the truth is that we have gotten here, and that St. Valentine’s Day is as important as ever, and that because e-cards are easy to send, they have become the wave of the greeting card present and future. Here at GotFreeCards.com, the Valentine e-cards or Valentine Printable cards are just as elaborate as their ancestors from the 1400s, but they are FREE! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Free Mother’s Day Ecards and Printable Cards

Mother’s Day is a special occasion that is celebrated annually to honor the motherly figures in our lives. It is a day that celebrates the love, sacrifice, and hard work of mothers across the world.

The ancient Greeks and Romans celebrated a festival in honor of their mother goddesses, Rhea and Cybele, respectively. The early Christians also celebrated a similar festival known as Mothering Sunday, which was celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The tradition of Mothering Sunday began in the UK and was later adopted by other countries, including the United States.

The modern Mother’s Day, as we know it today, was first celebrated in the United States in the early 20th century. The woman behind the creation of Mother’s Day was Anna Jarvis, who was born in West Virginia in 1864. Anna Jarvis was the daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis, a social activist who worked to improve health and sanitation conditions in her community.

Anna Jarvis was deeply influenced by her mother’s work and the tradition of Mothers’ Friendship Day. After her mother’s death in 1905, Anna Jarvis dedicated her life to establishing a national holiday in honor of mothers. She wrote letters to prominent politicians and influential people, including President Woodrow Wilson, urging them to establish a national holiday for mothers.

Anna Jarvis’s efforts paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. The first official Mother’s Day was celebrated on May 9, 1914, and it quickly became a popular holiday across the United States. The holiday soon spread to other countries, including Canada, Mexico, and Australia.

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated in many different ways across the world. It is a day when children and adults alike show their appreciation for their mothers and motherly figures by giving gifts, sending cards, and spending time with them. Many families also celebrate the day with a special meal or outing.

One can send our Mothers day eCards or Mothers day printable cards to show his or her appreciation for mothers.