The History of Valentine's Day

It is not known for sure who St. Valentine was. There are many legends surrounding this person. One legend says that St. Valentine was a Roman who performed secret marriages of young couples after the Roman emperor had forbidden young men from marrying. Another legend says that St. Valentine was a prisoner who fell in love with his jailor’s daughter and wrote her a note signed, “Your Valentine”.

Although the exact identity of St. Valentine isn’t known, the idea of February as a month of love goes back to the Roman Empire. The Romans observed Lupercalia, which celebrated the coming of spring and was a time for purification. During Lupercalia, single men would draw the names of the women out of a bin and that person would be their “partner” for the year. Often, these pairings led to marriage.

Pope Gelasius declared St. Valentine’s Day to be celebrated on February 14 in 498 A.D. The Roman tradition of drawing names was outlawed to “Christianize” the celebration.

In Europe, February was believed to be the beginning of birds’ mating season, which contributed to the romantic aspect of the holiday. The oldest written valentine was from a prisoner in the Tower of London to his wife in 1415. In the 17th century, it became commonplace for people to exchange small gifts with their loved ones on February 14th.

Since then, sending valentines to loved ones has become extremely popular. The first mass-produced valentine cards were made by Esther Howland in the 1840s. She used paper and ribbon scraps to make extravagantly decorated cards. Now, valentine cards are sold in stores everywhere, as well as hand made. People will continue to use Valentine’s Day to celebrate their loved ones.