Couples around the world celebrate Valentine's Day every year on February 14. Some mark the day with a greeting card exchange, others prefer presents and flowers, or the legendary short poem that melts hearts, starting with "Roses are red, violets are blue…" and ending in personalized rhymes. When did the Valentine's Day celebration start, historically? How is it connected to Lupercalia? Why did Emperor Claudius II forbid soldiers to get married? Why did the day of love become so popular in the Middle Ages? What was Geoffrey Chaucer's contribution? To answer all those questions and more, let's go over a brief history of Valentine's Day.
What Is Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is a global celebration of love held annually on February 14. Couples express affection through cards, chocolates, jewelry, flowers, romantic dinners, and thoughtful surprises. Symbols like hearts, doves, and Cupid appear in many gifts and greetings.
The celebration now extends beyond romantic partners to include friends, families, and even pets, who exchange small tokens and treats.
The Origins of Valentine's Day
In a nutshell, February 14th, celebrated around the world as the day of romantic love, stems from a pagan fertility festival, the story of one or more martyrs who defended love, the mating season of birds, and poetry. To fully understand why this day is celebrated, let's look at how it started and evolved.
How Valentine’s Day Started
The story of Valentine's Day begins in ancient Rome with a mid-February festival called Lupercalia. This pagan celebration, held annually, was linked to fertility, purification, and the coming of spring. Rituals included animal sacrifices and symbolic acts believed to promote health and renewal. While Lupercalia was not a “romantic” holiday in the modern sense, its themes of fertility and seasonal transition later overlapped with ideas about love.
As time progressed and Christianity spread, the Church gradually replaced pagan observances with Christian feast days. By the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I officially declared February 14 the feast day of Saint Valentine, which helped to phase out Lupercalia.
Saint Valentine and the Marriage Ban
Who was Saint Valentine? Historical records are unclear, and the name likely refers to more than one early Christian martyr. Over time, their stories merged into a single legend.
The most famous version takes place during the reign of Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd century. According to tradition, the emperor believed unmarried men made better soldiers and forbade young men from marrying. A priest named Valentine allegedly broke the rule by secretly marrying young couples. When discovered, he was imprisoned and executed around February 14, 270 AD.
Another legend claims Valentine befriended his jailer’s daughter and signed a letter to her "from your Valentine", a phrase still used in modern cards. While historians debate the accuracy of these stories, they shaped the image of Valentine as a symbol of love.
Why the Middle Ages Changed Everything
Valentine’s Day did not become associated with romance immediately after becoming a Christian holiday. Its transformation into a celebration of romantic love took place in medieval Europe, particularly from the 14th century onward.
At the time, people believed birds began choosing their mates in mid-February. This natural observation, combined with the saint’s feast day, gave February 14 a symbolic association with pairing and courtship.
The idea was reinforced by the culture of courtly love, which valued poetry, admiration, and symbolic gestures. Love became something to be expressed through language and ritual.
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Contribution
A major turning point came with Geoffrey Chaucer’s poem Parliament of Fowles (c. 1382). In the poem, birds gather on Saint Valentine’s Day to choose their mates. This is the first known literary work to explicitly connect Valentine’s Day with romantic love.
Chaucer’s influence was significant. Later writers adopted the idea, and by the late Middle Ages, exchanging love notes and poems on February 14 became fashionable among the European nobility. Over time, this literary tradition evolved into handwritten valentines and printed cards, which started to be produced in the 19th century, with the rise of printing technology.
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The Origins of Popular Valentine’s Day Sayings
Many familiar Valentine’s Day phrases come from old customs and beliefs rather than modern romance.
The invitation "Be my Valentine" became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, when people chose a symbolic "Valentine" for the day. This was usually someone they admired and planned to send a poem, card, or small gift to. The phrase conveys a light, ritual pairing rather than a serious declaration of love.
The expression "from the bottom of my heart" comes from ancient beliefs that the heart was the center of emotions and truth. Saying this showed deep sincerity and honest feeling.
"Wear your heart on your sleeve" has roots in medieval courtship. During festivals or tournaments, a knight could wear a ribbon or token from a lady on his sleeve to show devotion. Over time, the phrase came to mean showing feelings openly.
Nature also shaped the language of love. "Love is in the air" comes from the idea that spring awakens romance in people and animals. In medieval Europe, it was believed that birds began mating around mid-February, close to Valentine’s Day. Similarly, the word "lovebirds" comes from the strong bonds formed by certain birds, especially parrots, seen as symbols of affection and loyalty. The belief that Valentine’s Day fell during bird-mating season strengthened this connection between love, nature, and the time of year.
Valentine’s Day Traditions Around the World
Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated in many countries, but its meaning varies from place to place. While some cultures focus on romance, others highlight friendship, humor, or community, which makes the holiday more interesting around the world.
In South Korea, the spotlight is not only on couples. Instead, singles celebrate Black Day on April 14. On this day, people who did not receive gifts earlier meet with friends, wear black clothes, eat black bean noodles, and laugh about being single. Rather than feeling lonely, they turn the day into a light and cheerful event. Meanwhile, in the Philippines, Valentine’s Day takes on a very different tone. It is a popular time for mass weddings, where many couples get married or renew their vows together. As a result, the day becomes a public celebration of commitment and shared love.
In South Africa, love is expressed more openly and playfully. Some women pin their crush's name on their sleeve, clearly showing their feelings.
In parts of Latin America, Valentine’s Day is known as the Day of Love and Friendship. Similarly, in Finland and Estonia, friends exchange cards and small gifts. This shows that love is not only about couples but also about close bonds between friends.
Italy, on the other hand, adds a poetic touch. In Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, chocolates, love letters, and poetry help set a romantic mood.
In Wales, love is celebrated earlier, on January 25, with hand-carved wooden spoons. Over time, love spoons have become symbols of care and affection.
Finally, in Denmark and Peru, the holiday takes unique forms, from funny joke letters to Carnival-style weddings and colorful orchids, not roses, proving that love can be celebrated in many ways.
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