History of Valentine’s Day

Feb. 14, commonly known as Valentine’s Day, was named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, with some origins coming from the Roman holiday Lupercalia, a fertility festival held in February. Meanwhile, not much is known about the holiday’s namesake St. Valentine.

At the time there were multiple Christian clerics named Valentine. One of them was put to death for performing marriage ceremonies in secret after there was a ban put in place.

It wasn’t until the 1300s that the holiday became associated with love.

At that time, people believed that Feb. 14 coincided with birds’ mating season. Then in the 15th century, the first written valentine greetings were sent to others, and by the 17th century, it had caught the attention of people in Great Britain, forming the tradition of sending cards or letters for St. Valentine’s Day.

The first mass-produced holiday cards were created in the 1840s helping the holiday take off. Today, Valentine’s Day is recognized and celebrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Denmark, Italy and Japan.