The Origins of Valentine's Day

On February 14, your local cupid is coming to town! This day might be the only chance to meet your soulmate, so get ready to accept those valentines! Share the love during Valentine’s Day and show your appreciation for your significant other!

Valentine's day is the offspring of a Roman holiday, Lupercalia, which was held around mid-February. This festival celebrated the coming of spring and also fertility rites. This festival also originally held a lottery that paired women with men. By the end of the 5th century, a pope forbade the celebration of Lupercalia. This pope, Pope Gelasius I, decided to replace it with the famous St. Valentine’s Day (named after - yep, you guessed it - Saint Valentine, the patron saint of lovers). This is just a theory, though; the true story of the history of Valentine's Day remains a mystery. The first records of a Valentine's Day celebration are formally recorded around the 14th century.

Valentine’s Day messages started appearing by the 15th century, and in the late 1700s, cards were being printed for this holiday. In the United States, in the mid-1800, commercial Valentine’s Day cards were printed. Valentine’s Day normally shows Cupid, the Roman god of love, as well as showing hearts. Weirdly enough, because so many people thought the bird mating season begins in mid-February, birds also became a large symbol for this festival. Due to the coming of spring, flowers are also common.

This holiday is popular in the US as well as other large countries, such as France, Mexico, and South Korea. In the Philippines, it is the most common wedding anniversary as well. This holiday is now known as not just a holiday for lovers, but also for family. Affection amongst friends and relatives have become commonplace during these holidays.

Source

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Valentine’s Day". Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day. Accessed 8 February 2023.