Valentine's Day: What Is It? Why Do We Celebrate It, Exactly?

Why do we celebrate St. Valentine's Day? St. Valentine's Day is an annual holiday commemorating romantic love, platonic friendship, and mutual admiration. On February 14, people worldwide express their love and appreciation for their significant others, friends, and family members by sending cards, letters, flowers, and other tokens of affection. To celebrate their love for one another, many couples exchange Valentine's Day cards, flowers, and special quality time together. 
 

A Look Back at Valentine's Day's Past 

Saint Valentine, a Catholic priest who served in Rome in the third century, is the inspiration for the holiday we now celebrate on February 14. The legend surrounding St. Valentine developed from the many tales told about him over the centuries. 

During Valentine's lifetime, many Romans were converting to Christianity, but the pagan Emperor Claudius II enacted laws restricting Christians' activities. Claudius instituted a law that made it illegal for Roman soldiers to wed out of believing they should devote their entire lives to Rome. St. Valentine became known as a man who valued love after he began performing Christian weddings for soldiers in secret. 
 

One day, Valentine's crimes against Claudius were discovered, and he was thrown in jail. While put in jail, Valentine looked out for his fellow inmates and the blind daughter of his jailor. According to folklore, Valentine not only cured the girl's blindness but also wrote her a love letter signed "from your Valentine" right before he was executed. On February 14, 270 AD, Valentine was put to death. 
 

When did Valentine's Day start, and where did it come from? 

More than two hundred years later, on February 14, Saint Valentine's Day was officially recognized. Rome had already converted to Christianity, and the Catholic Church was eager to eradicate any remaining pagan practices. Since the Pope outlawed a yearly pagan fertility ritual in February and declared February 14 Saint Valentine's Day, a new feast day was added to the Catholic calendar. 

In the Middle Ages, poet Geoffrey Chaucer made the first known association between Saint Valentine and romantic love. This was the start of the ritual of courtly love, in which one person expresses their admiration and affection for another in private. Stories grew about a High Court of Love, where female judges would make decisions on matters of love annually on the fourteenth of February, as this practice spread across Europe. According to historians, the purpose of these get-togethers was to read love poetry and play flirtation games. 
 

St. Valentine's Day Expressions 

As the custom of sending messages of love spread, it evolved into the sending of personalized cards. The beauty and uniqueness of these cards demonstrated the sender's affection for the recipient. Most greeting cards were written in the form of poetry, with lines extolling the recipient's virtues and expressing the depth of their love. 
 

Images of cupid, hearts, flowers and lace or ribbon served as embellishments for Saint Valentine's Day greeting cards. Even now, people worldwide turn to these pictures whenever they want to express their feelings for another. 
 

Today, what does the concept of Valentine's Day entail? 

Despite the widespread recognition of Valentine's Day, local customs have evolved to give each culture a unique take on the holiday. While traditionally associated with romantic couples, Valentine's Day is also celebrated as a time to show appreciation for one's family and friends. Leaving candies and small gifts for children is one tradition while showing appreciation to friends is another. 
 

Millions of Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, highlighting the holiday's close connection to romantic love. Sending flowers or a single red rose along with a heartfelt message and spending quality time together are common ways people express their love for one another on this day. 
 

Dinner, a picnic, or a special home-cooked meal are common ways couples celebrate Valentine's Day. Food is often presented with symbols of love, such as hearts and flowers, for Valentine's Day at many restaurants. On Valentine's Day, many people also choose to propose marriage as a way to declare their love for one another publicly. There are some very unique ways that marriage proposals are made, such as by climbing to the peak of a mountain or by posting a message on a billboard. Regardless of the method, Valentine's Day marriage proposals are typically sweet and memorable.