On February 14 of each year, Valentine’s day is widely celebrated around the world. It is recognized as a day of love and romance, associated with cheesy poems, flowers, and chocolate. This, however, was never the original idea of Valentine's day.

As best we can tell, its origins trace back to the pagan festival of Lupercalia, where on February 15th, the Roman priests known as Luperci arranged annual sacrifices. They would skin the hide of the sacrificial animals, including dogs and sheep, and then run around gently slapping the women with it. This supposedly brought the women good fertility in the coming year. Later in the day, the young women of the city would put their names in an urn, and each bachelor would pick one, pairing them together. Often, these pairing would result in marriage. 

The name “Valentine’s Day” was adapted to remember St. Valentine. During the rule of Claudius II, marriage was illegal. This was because they needed men to join the army, and he thought that without the ties of marriage they would be more likely to join. Despite the restrictions, Valentine, who after his death was declared a saint, helped couples get married in secret. For this, he was put in jail, where legend has it he wrote to the jailer's daughter-a friend of his, and signed it “From your Valentine.” St. Valentine was killed on February 14th around the year 270.

This is one possibility, however, as there were multiple St. Valentines, who were also killed by the emperor around the same time, all Christian martyrs. Pope Gelasius, I was the one who officially adopted the “St. Valentine's Day” in remembrance of Valentine's death, right around the time when the Lupercalia festival was outlawed as the rise of Christianity continued. Some say that Pope Gelasius I places Valentine’s day during the festivals to overtake them, and further discourage the pagan rituals. 

Nevertheless, the idea of Valentine’s day caught on around the 14th century, where people began writing letters to each other to celebrate. By the mid-1800s, the Valentines cards we know today were being made, beginning the now strongly commercial holiday we have today. Valentine’s day now is a huge time of year for marketing. According to the National Retail Federation, it is expected the Americans will set a new record for Valentine’s Day spending this year, with a grand expenditure of 27.4 billion dollars of products. The average amount estimated to be spent by each person is $169.31, 21% higher than last year. 

Valentine’s day as we know it today has come a long way from the Lupercalia festivals and remembrance day it once was, with a complete change of principles throughout the process. From remembrance, to love letters, to a gift-based day of appreciation, we still find a way to keep the tradition going in modern-day society. 

Sources: NRF, Britannica, History.com, NPR