The History of Valentine’s Day, and Why We Celebrate
Haley Mades
Haley is a Wisconsin-based creative freelancer and recent graduate. She has worked as an editor, fact checker, and copywriter for various digital and print publications. Her most recent position was in academic publishing as a publicity and marketing assistant for the University of Wisconsin Press
Valentine’s Day may be associated with romance, but the origin of the holiday isn’t exactly romantic. Here’s the history of Valentine’s Day you may not know — plus when Valentine’s Day 2024 is so you can plan.
By Haley is a Wisconsin-based creative freelancer and recent graduate. She has worked as an editor, fact checker, and copywriter for various digital and print publications. Her most recent position was in academic publishing as a publicity and marketing assistant for the University of Wisconsin Press
Whether you love Valentine’s Day or hate it, one thing’s clear: Valentine’s Day history goes way back. And while Valentine’s Day is now known for kissing, Valentine’s Day gifts, and hard-to-get dinner reservations, the origins of the holiday are far less romantic. Here, the Valentine’s Day history that wouldn’t make it into a rom-com, featuring a saint, a massacre, and even the sinful nuns of Valentine’s Day (seriously!).
When is Valentine’s Day?
First, a quick refresher: Valentine’s Day always falls on February 14. Valentine’s Day 2024 will be Wednesday, February 14. (But just wait until 2025, when it falls on a Friday!)
At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day, and since then, February 14th has been a day of celebration — though it was generally more religious than romantic.
How did Valentine’s Day start?
Valentine’s Day is a fixed day on the calendar that got lumped into a mid-February holiday on the ancient Roman calendar called Lupercalia — which some historians believe is what led to Valentine’s Day being all about love. Lupercalia celebrated fertility, and may have included a ritual in which men and women were paired off by choosing names from a jar. In Ancient Greece, people observed a mid-winter celebration for the marriage of the god Zeus and the goddess Hera.
Why is Valentine’s Day celebrated on February 14th?
In general, early Christians often opted to celebrate holidays on days that coincide with existing festivals and celebrations (like Christmas and winter solstice), so they placed Valentine’s Day on February 14th, while Lupercalia was celebrated on February 15th.
Who was Saint Valentine? (And what does he have to do with chocolate hearts?)
Not much, it turns out. St. Valentine’s Day was a feast day in the Catholic religion, added to the liturgical calendar around 500 AD. The day was commemorated for martyred saints named — you guessed it — Valentine. Differing legends celebrate three different saints called Valentine or Valentinus, but since very little was known about these men and there were conflicting reports of the St. Valentine Day story, the feast day was removed from the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar in 1969.
But even though not much is known about the real history of the Saint Valentines on whom the holiday is based, the legend of Saint Valentine has several tellings. One legend says that Saint Valentine refused to convert to paganism and was executed by Roman Emperor Claudius II. Prior to his execution, he was able to miraculously heal the daughter of his jailer, who then converted to Christianity along with his family. Another legend says a bishop called Saint Valentine of Terni is the true namesake of the holiday; this Saint Valentine was also executed.
But according to others — and this is how Saint Valentine became affiliated with a love-focused holiday — Saint Valentine was a Roman priest who performed weddings for soldiers forbidden to marry, because of a Roman emperor’s edict decreeing married soldiers did not make good warriors and thus young men could not marry. This Saint Valentine wore a ring with a Cupid on it — a symbol of love — that helped soldiers recognize him. And, in a precursor to greeting cards, he handed out paper hearts to remind Christians of their love for God.
Because of this legend, Saint Valentine became known as the patron saint of love. The Saint Valentine prayer asks Saint Valentine to connect lovers together, so that two become one, and the couple remembers their devotion to God.
While the Saint Valentine story set the groundwork for establishing the day as a holiday for romantic love, what truly solidified the connection between Saint Valentine and love was a poem by medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer in 1375, which historians consider the origin of the “modern” celebration of Valentine’s Day, where we celebrate our romantic partnership with one other person.
Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Chaucer lived in the Middle Ages, the era of courtly love, when broad, romantic statements of devotion — poems, songs, paintings — celebrated partnership. By the end of the 15th century, the word “valentine” was being used to describe a lover in poems and songs of the day, and in the 18th century, a book called The Young Man’s Valentine Writer was published in England. By the mid-19th century, mass-produced paper Valentine’s Cards were being created and Valentine’s Day as we know it was born.
The truth about Valentine’s Day history is that the romantic holiday isn’t immune to tragedy. During Prohibition in Chicago, seven men were killed by a gang organized by Al Capone on Feb. 14, 1929. TheValentine’s Day Massacre became a flashpoint in Prohibition history, with police and lawmakers going after the gangs and mobs that had formed in cities to control then-illegal substances like alcohol.
What is Galentine’s Day, and how is it related to Valentine’s Day?
A modern (and fun!) take on Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day has been a recent addition to Valentine’s Day history. It seems to have been popularized by Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation. It’s a day to celebrate the friends that you love. It’s celebrated on February 13 (leaving you plenty of time to celebrate your mate on official Valentine’s Day the following day). Galentine’s Day gifts have become a nice way to celebrate the people who mean so much to you.
Is Valentine’s Day a holiday?
While many people celebrate Valentine’s Day in all kinds of different ways, it’s no longer an official Catholic holiday — and unfortunately for all the romantics out there, it’s not an official bank holiday or day off (though you can always take the day off for a special day with your significant other!).
What is the meaning of Valentine’s Day?
Over the years (and centuries), Valentine’s Day has been a religious celebration, an ancient ritual day, and a commercial holiday. All that change means the meaning of Valentine’s Day is truly whatever you want it to be: You can skip the celebrations completely, buy yourself some chocolate or flowers, or express your love and appreciation for the people in your life, whether they’re co-workers, romantic partners, friends, or family members.
Valentine’s Day fun facts
Want to impress your friends and family with your Valentine’s Day knowledge (or just win your Valentine’s Day trivia contest at the local pub)? Check out these Valentine’s Day fun facts:
• The average Valentine’s Day gift giver spends nearly $200 on Valentine’s Day gifts and goodies — for about $26 billion overall.1
• While most people send out nice messages for the holiday, Victorian-era folks sometimes used valentines to turn down a suitor, called a vinegar valentine.
• More than 250 million roses are produced for Valentine’s Day — with red roses making up nearly two-thirds of that number.2
• Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days to propose. (In fact, if you got engaged between December and February, you’re in the zone when the most proposals happen.)
• The color red and the heart shape first started showing up in medieval art during the 14th and 15th century.
• If you don’t make a big deal about Valentine’s Day, you’re not alone. A YouGov survey found that only 30% of Americans thought it was a real special occasion — with most people liking holidays like New Year’s Eve, Halloween, Labor Day, and Memorial Day more than the day of love
What is the real story of Valentine’s day?
Turns out, it was a pretty common name during Late Antiquity. As far as anyone can tell, the Saint Valentine of Valentine’s Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day
There are seven days dedicated to celebration of love before Valentine’s Day. It starts from February 7. These seven days of love are
Rose Day (February 7),
Propose Day (February 8),
Chocolate Day (February 9),
Teddy Day (February 10),
Promise Day (February 11),
Hug Day (February 12), and
Kiss Day (February 13).
It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine and through later folk traditions, it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.