Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, [1] is celebrated annually on February 14. [2] 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 In this article, we take a look at the various historical and cultural influences that have shaped Valentine’s Day. From the mysterious figure of Saint Valentine and the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia to the medieval traditions of courtly love and the commercialization of the holiday in the modern era, we explore how February 14th became the day to celebrate love. Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated every February 14; this year Valentine's Day falls on a Friday. Across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts Valentine’s Day is the holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It may have had beginnings in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and other activities, but the origin of the holiday is vague at best. Long before Valentine's Day was recognized as a holiday, the Romans held an annual festival called Lupercalia. Celebrated between February 13 and 15, Lupercalia was a pagan fertility festival The History of Valentine's Day, and Why We Celebrate. Valentine’s Day may be associated with romance, but the history of the holiday isn’t exactly lovey-dovey. Here are the facts you may not know—plus, fun ideas for Valentine's Day 2025. Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day today? Valentine's Day's transformation into a holiday about romantic love can be attributed to the Romantic English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. The Times notes that Jack B. Oruch, a late University of Kansas English professor, credits Chaucer for modern ideas about Valentine's Day. Through his research, Oruch Soon, people began penning and exchanging love letters to celebrate Valentine's Day. The mid-19th century marked the beginning of many of the commercialized Valentine's Day traditions we know today. Victorian men wooed women with flowers, Richard Cadbury created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates, and the New England Confectionery Company By the 1700s, valentines of the medieval era were popularized as handmade tokens—embellished with lace, dresdens, and ribbons—and exchanged between loved ones before they were started to be mass-manufactured in the mid-1800s. And for the first time in 1913, Hallmark began its printing of Valentine's Day cards. Valentine’s Day is a romantic holiday celebrated each year on February 14. Learn about St. Valentine, Valentine's Day quotes and the ancient origins of Valentine's Day. Below, you’ll learn which day of the week to expect the holiday for the next three years (you know, in case you want to make those Valentine’s Day restaurant reservations now). Saturday, Feb Associating Valentine’s Day with romantic love only began in the Middle Ages. This may have been due to Geoffrey Chaucer, who in his 1382 poem “Parlement of Foules”, linked Saint Valentine’s Day to birds choosing their mates: “For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day / When every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” The origins of Valentine’s Day are pretty obscure. While scholars generally agree that the holiday was popularized in the 1840s in the U.K. and U.S., the specific historical roots of the So, if you're curious about how we celebrate Valentine's Day in Sweden, read on! Valentine's Day, or Alla Hjärtans Dag, is a special day for celebrating love and affection. But in Sweden, we don't just celebrate romantic love, we celebrate the love between family members and friends too. 9.2K. The history of Valentine’s Day began in medieval Europe approximately five centuries ago. Today, many people across the globe give small Valentine’s Day gifts like cards or candies to friends and family. Today is Valentine's Day, or St Valentine's Day. It's celebrated every year on 14 February. You can find out all about the day of love here. The Welsh get a jump on the rest of the world for Valentine's Day, instead celebrating St. Dwynwen's Day on January 25. He's the patron saint of lovers, and men traditionally give their significant others hand-carved wooden spoons, which hearken back to the time when love-sick Welsh sailors carved designs into their spoons to give to their lovers upon returning home. 4. Cupid has roots in Greek mythology. Watch out around Valentine’s Day, or else you may be struck by Cupid’s arrow. According to Ti me, the ubiquitous cherub can be traced back to 700 B.C.In Valentine’s Day expenditure In 2024, consumers in the United States are expected to spend an estimated total of 26 billion U.S. dollars for Valentine’s Day, which would be roughly the same Every year on Feb. 14, Americans celebrate Valentine's Day. The February holiday is set aside to let that special someone know how much they're cared about through gifts, flowers, greeting cards
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