VALENTINE'S DAY ORIGINS

Introduction

It's Feb-Ibig, you start a lovestry here! The origins of Valentine's Day are a blend of ancient Roman rituals, Christian hagiography, and medieval poetry. While many associate it with romance, its earliest roots are significantly darker and more solemn. 

Lupercalia vs. Valentine

Before it was a day of love, mid-February was the time of Lupercalia (February 13–15), a pagan fertility festival. Roman priests, known as Luperci, would sacrifice goats and dogs. They then used strips of the goat hide (called februa) to gently whip women, a practice believed to bestow fertility and ease the pain of childbirth. Legend suggests a matchmaking lottery occurred where men drew women's names from a jar to be paired for the duration of the festival, though modern historians debate the historical evidence for this specific custom.

The holiday is named after Saint Valentine, but the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different martyrs by that name. The most popular legend tells of a 3rd-century priest who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage for young soldiers (believing single men made better warriors). Valentine secretly performed weddings until he was caught and executed on February 14. Another story claims Valentine, while imprisoned, healed his jailer's blind daughter and sent her a final letter signed "From your Valentine.

Valentine's Romantic

It wasn't until the Middle Ages that the day became linked to romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer is often credited with the first romantic association in his 1382 poem Parlement of Foules, which described February 14 as the day birds choose their mates. This literary tradition spread through Europe, leading to the exchange of handwritten poems and "valentines" among nobility. In the 1840s, Esther Howland began mass-producing elaborate lace-trimmed cards in the U.S., earning her the title "Mother of the American Valentine" and paving the way for the modern multi-billion dollar industry. 

Reference

History.com Editors. (2009, December 22). Valentine’s Day 2025: Origins, Background & Traditions | HISTORY. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-valentines-day

‌Wakeman, G. (2026, January 30). Valentine’s Day Has a Dark, Bloody Precursor. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/articles/dark-truth-valentines-day-lupercalia

‌The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Valentine’s Day | Definition, History, & Traditions. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day

O’Malley, C. (2022, January 29). The Origins of Valentine’s Day -. Medfieldhistoricalsociety.org. https://medfieldhistoricalsociety.org/the-origins-of-valentines-day/

‌Davies, A. (2017, December 20). The History of Valentine’s Day and Why We Celebrate. Real Simple; Real Simple. https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day