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It’s Valentine’s Day, one of my favorite holidays. Love is in the air, people are generally happy and nice, you can find free chocolate anywhere you go. Of course, I would prefer a free sump pump, but you work with what you get.

Of course the day has certainly become a powerful cultural and commercial force. Americans spend over $2 billion on flowers alone. But how did we get here? What is the history behind this day? Glad you asked.

History of the Day

It is named after Valentine of Rome, a priest who was martyred in 269. The details of his life and work are vague and unclear, although most accounts seem to agree that he was martyred for attempting to spread the Gospel of Christ during the Pagan era of the Roman Empire. Valentine is strongly associated with several tales, including that he performed weddings for Christian soldiers and that he gave parchment hearts to persecuted Christians.

Alas, these tales are mostly legend with no basis in fact. What is true enough is that various folk ceremonies and celebrations sprang up in Europe in the wake of his death. Sometimes these celebrations were associated with Spring or renewal and they were often marked by the giving of treats.

The association of the day with romantic love did not come about until the 14th century, after Chaucer wrote a poem associating St. Valentine’s Day with “choosing a mate.” From there, things snowballed until the holiday became exclusively associated with romantic love. Add a hefty dose of post-Industrial era commercialism and you more or less have the days as it is known today.         

Pumps We Love:

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we thought we should share some of the pumps we absolutely love with all of our customers. You might not be able to cuddle with a pump late at night (because that would be quite strange) but it’s certainly more practical a gift than flowers or chocolate.

Liberty Omnivore: Arguably the best grinder in the business, the Omnivore is perfect if all you want this Valentine’s Day is to turn your sewage into a slurry.

Goulds Convertible Jet Pumps: Versatility is the key word for these convertible jet pumps, which can be configured to pump both shallow wells and deep wells.

Zoeller Sewage Pumps: These are just good solid sewage pumps for a variety of applications.