Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day? What to know about the history of the holiday

Valentine's Day hasn't always been the chocolate-saturated, glitter-encrusted celebration we currently celebrate. The origins of this holiday date back to ancient times, and it has evolved over the centuries to become the holiday we know today.

From its early beginnings as a pagan festival to its modern commercialization, the history of Valentine's Day is a fascinating story that includes the myths, legends and customs that have shaped it over the years.

When did Valentine's Day begin?

Valentine's Day has its origins in ancient Rome. The Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was held in mid-February, is believed to be the origin of the holiday. Lupercalia was an ancient Roman festival that was celebrated on Feb. 15. It was believed to have been a fertility festival and was associated with the Roman gods Lupercus and Faunus.

The festival was celebrated by the Luperci, a group of priests who would sacrifice goats and dogs and then use the hides to whip women to promote fertility. The festival also included a lottery in which young men and women were paired up as partners for the duration of the festival, and many couples would end up getting married as a result. The festival of Lupercalia was eventually abolished in the 5th century AD, by Pope Gelasius I, as part of the Christianization of Rome.

Christian roots of Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day as we know it today has its roots in the Christian tradition. The holiday is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who lived in the 3rd century A.D.

St. Valentine is believed to have been born and raised in Terni, Italy, and later served as a priest in Rome. There are several different legends and stories associated with him, but the most common one is that he helped Christian couples marry in secret during a time when Emperor Claudius II had banned marriages to increase the number of soldiers in the Roman army. According to this legend, St. Valentine would perform secret marriages for couples in love, defying the emperor's ban.

Another story suggests that Valentine was imprisoned, tortured and ultimately executed for his Christian beliefs. During his imprisonment, it is said that he healed the jailer's daughter of her blindness, and before his execution, he left her a note signed "from your Valentine," which is considered the first Valentine's letter.

Valentine became associated with romantic love in the High Middle Ages when the tradition of courtly love flourished. The day of his death, Feb. 14, was first associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when the notion of courtly love was at its peak.

This was the beginning of the celebration of Valentine's Day as a day of romance and courtship. Poems and love letters were exchanged, and the first Valentine's Day greeting card was believed to have been sent in the 15th century.

Valentine's Day and the Industrial Revolution

Valentine's Day was not widely celebrated in the 18th century. It began to gain popularity in the 19th century when it became more commercialized and began to resemble the holiday we know today. Before that time, it was primarily a religious observance associated with Saint Valentine, a martyr in the early Christian church. People would exchange handwritten notes and small gifts, such as flowers or sweets, with loved ones as a way to express affection. However, it was not yet a widespread or commercial holiday.

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the Industrial Revolution led to an increase in manufacturing capabilities and a rise in the middle class. This in turn led to an increase in demand for gifts and products, and merchants began to capitalize on this by creating and promoting Valentine's Day-themed products. The holiday also gained popularity due to the influence of the greeting card industry. In the early 19th century, the printing press made it possible to mass-produce cards and other printed materials. As a result, there was a rise in the number of Valentine's Day cards produced and sold.

Modern Valentine's Day

As the 20th century progressed, Valentine's Day became an even more commercialized holiday. Retailers began to heavily promote the holiday, encouraging consumers to go on special dates and buy gifts and products for their loved ones. Today, Valentine's Day is a major holiday for retailers, with consumers spending billions of dollars on gifts, flowers, chocolates and other gifts. In recent years, there has been criticism that Valentine's Day is too commercialized, with some arguing that it puts too much pressure on couples to express their love through expensive gifts and that it can be exclusionary for people who are single or who don't have romantic partners. However, other people are using Valentine's Day to express their love and gratitude to family members and others in the community. Whether you love it or hate it, the rich history of Valentine's Day makes a fascinating story.

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