History of Valentines Day

Everyone knows about Valentine’s Day. Gifts, chocolates, and flowers are a staple when celebrating this holiday. But where did it come from?

Valentine’s Day is named after a Catholic Priest from Rome in the 3rd century, Saint Valentine. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with families, so he outlawed marriage for young men. St. Valentine did not believe in this and he continued to perform marriages in secret. When Claudius found out about his actions, he was put to death on February 14th, 269 AD. 

In honor of him, February 14th became “Valentine Day”. 

The holiday was originally celebrated more as a festival rather than a traditional holiday like we celebrate today. It was celebrated to respect St. Valentine instead of celebrating love and romance. 

The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,”.

Over the years, people started relating St. Valentine to romance. 

Now Valentine’s day is celebrated annually by many people. Valentine’s day is celebrated today by giving gifts to loved ones and spending time with them.