Valentine’s Day, a celebration of love, friendship, and admiration, is celebrated every year on February 14th. Common traditions include buying chocolates, cards, or flowers for people you are close to. But what is the history behind this romantic holiday? Let’s find out.

Valentine’s Day is named after St. Valentine. However, it is disputed which St. Valentine the holiday was named after. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different St. Valentines, all of which are martyred. A popular consensus is that the namesake of the holiday is Valentine of Rome, a third century priest. 

During that time period, Claudius II was the emperor of Rome, and he was involved in many gruesome military campaigns. Consequently, he needed to maintain a fierce army but was having difficulty recruiting soldiers. Claudius believed this was because men had too close of a connection to their wives and families, so he banned young men from getting married. 

Valentine viewed Claudius’ decree as unfair and defied the emperor by secretly performing marriages for young couples. He would eventually be caught, and Claudius ordered that he be jailed and executed. Valentine’s date of execution? None other than February 14th. 

Legend has it that Valentine fell in love with his jailor’s daughter and wrote a farewell note to her signed “From Your Valentine” before being executed, making it potentially the first valentine ever written.

Valentine’s Day officially became a holiday in 496, when Pope Gelasius I banned the Roman celebration of Lupercalia, and replaced it with the Catholic St. Valentine’s Day on February 14th. 

Over time, St. Valentine’s legacy of love and compassion has evolved into the Valentine’s Day we celebrate today, symbolizing the power of affection and the importance of cherishing relationships.