The History Of Valentine’s Day & Why We Celebrate It

Almost everyone swoons over a good love story, but the history of Valentine's Day is, well, not quite that. We all know February 14 as a day of gift-exchanging, sweet treats, and mushy romantic dinners. But less familiar is the reason why we celebrate the holiday of love in the first place. Just like the history of any other festival, Valentine's Day's religious roots too sometimes sidelined in favour of more material interests. The modern iteration of the holiday with all its rosy hearts and kisses has quite a bubbly feel compared to its origin story, which is in reality a bit gory.

Why does V-day fall on the same day in February every year? When and why did it become associated with romantic love? And what's a "Valentine" anyway? These are the questions burning in our hearts!

What is the history behind Valentine’s Day?

Valentine's Day wasn't always all cherubs and hearts. As you probably know, the day is named after St. Valentine but our story starts long before he comes into the picture. Valentine’s origin might stem from the ancient pagan festival of Lupercalia, which predated Christianity. Similar to the modern Valentine's Day, the Roman festival was celebrated in the middle of February and involved feasting and pairing off partners.

However, unlike Valentine's Day, it was a bit of a raucous celebration filled with debauchery, blood, and sacrifice.

The theory goes that as Romans turned away from their pagan beliefs and embraced Christianity, Valentine’s Day evolved into the day of honouring St. Valentine. Lupercalia was eventually outlawed at the end of the 5th century, right around the time Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine's Day.

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Why Do We Celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Valentine's Day ultimately transformed into a holiday about romantic love, and possibly for that we need to thank the Romantic English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. William Shakespeare has also been credited with popularising the holiday's romantic associations.

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By the mid-18th century, it was commonplace for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens and notes on Valentine's Day. In the 19th century, the industrial revolution helped make printed Valentine's Day cards the hot new thing. Since then we haven’t looked back at a pre-gift, presents and cards era and the world hasn't been the same.

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