The History of Valentine’s Day | ProFlowers (2024)

celebrating / valentines-day / The History of Valentine’s Day - Definition, Origin + Facts

January 23, 2020

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The history of Valentine’s Day goes back to 3rd century Rome with the execution of a priest named Valentinus known today as St. Valentine. Every February 14th, millions across the globe send their loved ones heart-shapedcardsandValentine’s Day chocolatesto express their love and affection. But this holiday that has evolved into the20 billion dollar industryit is today has a not so lovey-dovey beginning. While nobody truly knows the real story of how the holiday started, many theorists have pieced together points in history to tell the story.

We took a deep dive into the origin and history of Valentine’s Day, and rounded up all the theories and legends (some darker than others) to tracethe threadsthat lead to the romantic celebration it is today. Use the table of contents below to jump to the different sections and discover the full history of Valentine’s Day.

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Origin of Valentine’s Day

So how did Valentine’s Day originate?Here are answers to some common questions about the origins of Valentine’s Day:

Where Does the Word ‘Valentine’ Come From?

Many believe that Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine of Rome, a beloved martyr who was executed on February 14th in3rd century A.D. However, there were actually several men knownas “St. Valentine”who were executed during the reign ofRoman Emperor Claudius Gothicus. During a time when Christians were persecuted often, the execution of religious advocates known as martyrs grew. The stories of religious heroism by St. Valentine were honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.

Who Is St. ValentineReally?

The two most famous St. Valentines were aRoman priest and Italian bishop. The priest named Valentinus was arrested for his beliefs and put into custody. Valentinus made a bargain with the man who was guarding him, that if he could cure his foster-daughter of blindness he would convert to Christianity. The legend says that Valentinus was able to make the girl see and the guard and his whole family became Christians. When the emperor heard thenews, heordered them all to be executed.

The second Valentinus got into a similar situation; he debated with a potential convert and ended up healingthe man’sson. The sameemperor Gothicusexecuted him as well as the man he converted. Some believe these men are two interpretations of the same story, however, no one knows who the original St. Valentine was.

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History of Valentine’s Day

As time went on the legend of these martyrs developed into a Christian celebration of their death. It’s believed that the Catholic Church may have established St. Valentine’s Day originally in order to honor these men, who they believed to be martyrs.

The First Valentine

In medieval legends and what is often portrayed in modern media, St. Valentine was secretly marrying couples to protect young men from going to war.Other stories saythat St. Valentine fell in love with the blind girl he had healed and that he wrote her the first“valentine” while in prison – a letter which he allegedly signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.However, there is no historical evidence backing these stories.

Lupercalia

Others think the Christian church decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in order to cover up the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, also known as the fertility festival.

Lupercalia was originally a sacred gathering of Roman priests that went on from February 13th to the 15th. The pagan ritual included sacrificing adog and a goatand walking through the streets covering women with the hide for what they believed promoted fertility. An equally strange part of the festival was the tradition of women placing their names into an urn for bachelors to pick from. The woman’s name they drew would be their match for the duration of the festival, and often paired couples would marry!

How Was Valentine’s Day First Celebrated?

So what is the real story of Valentine’s Day? Lupercalia waseventually outlawed.However, at the end of the 5thcentury, Pope Gelantis declared February 14th as “the feast of St. Valentine,” ridding the day of the unruly festival. Whether this action was to cover up Lupercalia or to honor the religious heroism of St. Valentine is argued by historians to this day.

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The History of Love on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day’sfirst official reference to romancefinally appeared more than a thousand years after the martyr’s death when Geoffrey Chaucer, a medieval poet, decreed the February feast of St. Valentinus to be related to the mating of birds. English birds mated in February and soon after Chaucer’s reference in his“Parliament of Foules,”European nobility began sending love notes during bird-mating season. Shortly after,Shakespeare’s lovelorn damsel,Ophelia, called herself Hamlet’s Valentine. Chaucer and Shakespeare’s romanticism of the holiday in their work soon began its gain of popularity in Britain and the rest of Europe. In 1415,Charles Duke of Orleanswrote to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. Even King Henry V hired a writer to compose a valentine’s note to Catherine of Valois, leading love-letter writing to be associated with the day.


What Is the Meaning of Valentine’s Day Today?

So, how did we get around to celebrating Valentine’s day with flowers, chocolates and love notes when it started from such a dark beginning?

As we’ve discussed, for thousands of years the middle of February was commonly known for fertility festival celebrations, so it is no wonder that romance is associated with the holiday. Whether or not Chaucer and Shakespeare can be fully credited, there’s no doubt they popularized the current associations surrounding the day. Today, people continue tosend flowerson special occasions or to express sentiments of love and admiration. In addition to flowers, other contemporary symbols of Valentine’s Day include chocolates, candy hearts, and cards.

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Notes, Gifts and Chocolates, Oh My!

In the17th century, it became common for friends and lovers to exchange small gifts and handwritten notes in Great Britain. Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World and during the 19th century, along with the Industrial Revolution came factory-made Valentine’s Day cards.Cheaper postage rates contributed to the increase in popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings and Esther A. Howland pioneered mass-producing the first valentines made with lace, ribbons and colorful images. She soon became known as “Mother Valentine.”

Thefirst box of chocolatewas created by Richard Cadbury, who started packaging chocolates in fancy boxes in attempts to increase sales. He created the first heart-shaped box of chocolates in 1861 and today more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year. Thefirst candy heartswere also made by Boston pharmacist Oliver Chase as medical lozenges used for sore throats. Terms like “Happy Valentine’s Day” and “Sweetheart” were not written on the candies till much later.

Where Did the Flowers Come From?

Since fertility was also associated with agriculture, flowers naturally became a gift of choice. For centuries,flowers have symbolizedfertility, love, marriage, and romance. The history of giving your loved one Valentine’s Day flowers comes from the old-fashioned custom of sending floral bouquets to pass on non-verbal messages.Charles II of Sweden is credited with introducing the “Persian language of flowers” tradition to Europe by sending the firstValentine’s bouquet, using each flower to convey a specific meaning, making it possible to have an entire conversation without words.

Red and white roses are by far the most popular Valentine’s Day flowers. Red represents “romance, love, beauty, and courage” and white represents “purity, loyalty, and innocence.” A thornless red rose can mean “love at first sight.” Other colors of roses can be used to indicate friendship (yellow), appreciation (peach), enchantment (lavender), or sweetness and grace (pink).

The beauty of the rose was explained by ancient myths of divine creation. The Greek goddess Chloris discovered a dead woodland nymph and transformed her into a flower; her husband Zephyrus blew away the clouds so Apollo’s sun could cast down warming rays. Aphrodite added beauty and Dionysus aromatic nectar, while the three Graces further bestowed gifts of charm, joy, and splendor on the newly-minted rose. The “Queen of Flowers” was then presented to Aphrodite’s son, Eros, the deity of love.

Statistics show that over 80% of Valentine’s Day gifts include roses, and that nearly a third of all American adults will purchase either Valentine's Day plantsor flowers as a gift.

What About the Flying Baby?

InRoman mythology, Cupid was the mischievous son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty. He was known for shooting arrows at gods and humans alike, causing them to fall instantly in love with one another. Renaissance painters like Caravaggio created the enduring depiction of Cupid as a winged boy with bow and arrow that were later put on early 19thcentury greeting cards.

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Valentine’s Day Facts & FAQs

According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association, approximately one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year worldwide, making it the second-largest card-sending holiday. Take a peek below for a few fun Valentine’s day facts and frequently asked questions about the history of Valentine’s Day!

Q: Is Valentine’s Day only meant to be celebrated between couples?

A:Valentine’s Day has become an annual holiday to celebrate all types of relationships! This can mean expressing how much you love your family members, co-workers, little ones, or furry friends. Check out our post onvirtual Galentine’s Day ideaswhich has become a twist on the typical festivities to instead celebrate friends!

Q: What to gift on Valentine’s Day?

A:Whether it’s your first Valentine’s Day together or your 20th, picking a gift for your special someone can be a difficult task!Valentine’s Day candyandroses are traditional offerings, while aValentine’s Day spa basketadds a luxurious modern spin.To help you choose, we created the top Valentine’s Day ideas for every stage in your relationship!

Have we gotten you excited for Valentine’s Day? While the history of Valentine’s Day isn’t allchocolatesandroses, we are glad to have a day dedicated to showing love for others! Every love matters so this year, don’t forget to send a note to your mom, snag a gift for your co-worker and show some extra love and appreciation to a friend who needs it. For more gift ideas check out ourValentine’s Day gift basketsperfect for making anyone’s day!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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FAQs

The History of Valentine’s Day | ProFlowers? ›

The history of Valentine's Day goes back to 3rd century Rome with the execution of a priest named Valentinus known today as St. Valentine. Every February 14th, millions across the globe send their loved ones heart-shaped cards and Valentine's Day chocolates to express their love and affection.

What is the real story behind Valentine's day? ›

Turns out, it was a pretty common name during Late Antiquity. As far as anyone can tell, the Saint Valentine of Valentine's Day was one of two guys preaching the good word in Rome in the third century. One of these two was martyred on February 14th 269, thus giving us the date for his eponymous day.

What is the dark origin of Valentine's day? ›

One Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome who defied Emperor Claudius II after the ruler outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine would perform marriages in secret for young lovers, ultimately leading to his death.

What is the purpose of Valentine's day? ›

Valentine's Day 14 February. What is Valentine's Day? St Valentine's Day is an annual festival to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration. Every year on 14 February people celebrate this day by sending messages of love and affection to partners, family and friends.

Is Valentine's day a pagan holiday? ›

Some scholars have suggested that Valentine's Day has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Celebrated on February 15, Lupercalia was a bloody and even brutal affair in which animals would be sacrificed in the Lupercal cave at the base of Palatine Hill in Rome.

What does the Bible say about Valentine's day? ›

1 John 4:7-12. Dear friends: let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

What is the deeper meaning of Valentine's day? ›

While the date is meant to honor Saint Valentine's death and burial, which supposedly occurred in mid-February around 270 AD, some historians believe the date could reflect the Catholic Church's attempt to replace the ancient Pagan celebration of Lupercalia — a fertility festival for the pagan agricultural god Faunus — ...

What is the secret behind Valentine's Day? ›

Some believe Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 because that is when Saint Valentine was killed or buried. Others claim the date has to do with the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, which was a days-long celebration that would start on February 13 and end on February 15.

What is the logic behind Valentine's Day? ›

Held in mid-February, the festival celebrated the coming of spring with raucous celebrations and fertility rites. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius forbade the celebration of Lupercalia, and some suggest that he replaced it with a day to celebrate the martyred St. Valentine.

What is the spiritual meaning of Valentine's Day? ›

While the holiday has undergone secularization over time, its origins in Christian martyrdom and acts of love align with broader spiritual themes of compassion, selflessness, and devotion. For some, Valentine's Day serves as a reminder of the importance of love in both human relationships and spiritual practice.

Why was February 14th chosen as Valentine's day? ›

It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

What is the actual meaning of Valentine? ›

1. : a sweetheart chosen or complimented on Valentine's Day. 2. a. : a gift or greeting sent or given especially to a sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

Who was Saint Valentine and what did he do? ›

Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine's Day) since at least the eighth century.

What is the evil story behind Valentine's day? ›

The most common is that on one February 14 during the 3rd century A.D., a man named Valentine was executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II after being imprisoned for assisting persecuted Christians and secretly marrying Christian couples in love.

What religion is against Valentines day? ›

“For Muslims to abstain from Valentine's Day festivities is not merely a matter of personal choice but a religious obligation. The Quran and hadiths are the sources of Islamic guidance that do not endorse the celebration of romantic love outside the bonds of marriage,” he stated.

What is the true origin of Valentine's day? ›

Valentine's Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century. Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 ce by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus.

Who was the real killer in Valentine? ›

This reveals that Adam was a cover identity for Jeremy Melton, who had committed all the murders and framed Dorothy for his crimes to exact his revenge.

What is the bloody origin of Valentine's day? ›

The day is named after a Christian priest, Valentinus, who lived in the late third century AD and was beheaded on the orders of the pagan Roman emperor Claudius II on 14 February, a date subsequently commemorated by Christians as his feast day. But how did this bloody tale transform into a celebration of love?

What is the logic behind Valentine's day? ›

Held in mid-February, the festival celebrated the coming of spring with raucous celebrations and fertility rites. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius forbade the celebration of Lupercalia, and some suggest that he replaced it with a day to celebrate the martyred St. Valentine.

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