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Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate romance and love and kissy-face fealty. But the origins of this festival of candy and cupids are actually dark, bloody — and a bit muddled. 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 St. Valentine, a name that is synonymous with love and romance across the globe, lived at a time when the Roman Empire was at its zenith. He is often best remembered for the act of marrying couples in secret defiance of the Roman Emperor's bans. However, the truth about St. Valentine is far more complex, woven from a mixture of historical fragments, religious tradition, and folklore. This has Everyone loves a good love story, but the history of Valentine's Day is a bit different from the romanticized version of the holiday recognized today. While February 14 is widely celebrated with sweet Valentine's Day treats , heartfelt Valentine's Day gifts , and romantic dinners , few people are familiar with the holiday's true origins. The Mysterious History of the Real Saint Behind Valentine’s Day. 4 minute read. By Olivia B. Waxman. Updated: January 24, even if the story of Saint Valentine is not exactly well-known. 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. Ready to fully dive into the real story behind Valentine’s Day? Read on for an in-depth look at the origins of the holiday, including its namesake saint, Shakespeare’s surprising connection, and some decidedly NSFW rituals practiced in the Roman Empire. But, since his contemporaries were more familiar with the Feb. 14 Saint Valentine’s Day, that was the date that became attached to the new holiday of romance. In some ways, that may be a good thing. Whether or not Chaucer can be fully credited, it is true that he and fellow writer Shakespeare popularised the amorous associations surrounding the day. Soon, people began penning and exchanging love letters to celebrate Valentine's Day. The mid-19th century marked the beginning of many of the commercialised Valentine's Day traditions we know The Feast of Saint Valentine, also known as Saint Valentine's Day, was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of the Christian martyr. [41] A shrine of Saint Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland. February 14 is Saint Valentine's Day in the Lutheran calendar of saints. [12] 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. Ready to fully dive into the real story behind Valentine’s Day? Read on for an in-depth look at the origins of the holiday, including its namesake saint, Shakespeare’s surprising connection, and some decidedly NSFW rituals practiced in the Roman Empire. This Valentine’s Day you will probably either send or receive a valentine from someone. More than a billion are expected to be given away in the United States alone. But just like many of our holidays, there’s a lot more behind it than just cards and gifts. There’s a true-life story. Valentine’s Day is filled with fun traditions, including decorating with paper hearts, trying heart-shaped food recipes, coloring everything red and pink, and giving Valentine’s Day gifts for 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. On Feb. 14, sweethearts of all ages will exchange cards, flowers, candy, and more lavish gifts in the name of St. Valentine. But as a historian of Christianity, I can tell you that at the root of 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 Natalia Ganelin/Getty Images. Before the 14th century, St. Valentine's Day was primarily about honoring a Christian martyr. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer is credited with connecting St. Valentine's Day to the idea of romance. See, the way Valentine's Day is celebrated has transformed over time. The modern iteration of the holiday, with all its rosy hearts and kisses, has quite a bubbly feel compared to its origin story In the 5th century A.D., Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia and declared that on Feb. 14, people would celebrate Saint Valentine instead. Although the stories behind Saint Valentine are a bit
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