Valentine’s Day celebrated on February 14 each year, is a day for expressing love and affection among couples, friends, and families. The day has its origins with an early Christian saint named Valentine and became associated with romantic love during the High Middle Ages, particularly through the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. By the 15th century, it evolved into a celebration involving flowers, candies, and greeting cards, known as “valentines.” Modern symbols include heart shapes, doves, and Cupid. The day was declared St. Valentine’s Day by Pope Gelasius at the end of the 5th century. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, Valentine’s Day will be celebrated on February 14, which falls on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, respectively.

The History Behind Valentine’s Day- when did it start?

To understand Valentine’s Day’s significance, we must delve into its rich history and origins. So, when did Valentine’s Day start?

Lupercalia Story

Some believe the Christian church chose mid-February for St. Valentine’s feast day to overshadow the pagan fertility festival Lupercalia, which occurred from February 13th to 15th. This festival featured rituals like sacrificing a dog and goat and covering women with hides for fertility. A notable tradition allowed women to place their names in an urn for bachelors to draw, often leading to temporary marriages. Later, the February festival was replaced by the Pope with Saint Valentine’s Day, becoming a feast day in the Catholic Calendar of Saints.
Chaucer, a poet from the Middle Ages, was the first to connect Valentine’s Day with romantic love. In the late 14th century, he wrote a poem called ‘Parliament of Fowls’. This poem describes birds that come together to find their mates on ‘seynt Valentine’s Day’. Today, Valentine’s Day celebrates all kinds of love, including love between friends and family.
Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who secretly performed marriages during Emperor Claudius II’s ban on the practice, believing that single men made better soldiers. When discovered, Valentine was imprisoned and executed on February 14, around 270 AD. Before his death, he reportedly wrote a letter to the jailor’s daughter, signing it “From your Valentine,” which is thought to be the origin of Valentine’s Day messages.

What Is the Meaning of Valentine’s Day Today?

Valentine’s Day has evolved from its darker origins into a celebration of love, influenced by historical fertility festivals in mid-February. Chaucer and Shakespeare played significant roles in popularizing its romantic associations. Today, we express our feelings through flowers, chocolates, candy hearts, and cards.
Valentine’s Day has its roots in formal messages from the 1500s, with commercially printed cards emerging by the late 1700s and the first in the United States in the mid-1800s. Common symbols include Cupid, hearts, and birds, while traditional gifts are candy and red roses. The day is widely celebrated in the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, and other countries like Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea. In the Philippines, it is a popular wedding anniversary, often marked by mass weddings. The holiday has also evolved to include expressions of affection among family and friends, with schoolchildren commonly exchanging valentines.

What Is the Meaning of Valentine’s Day Today?- The Evolution