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A brief history of Valentine’s Day — and how it became romantic
Valentine’s Day began as a Christian feast honoring martyrs named Valentine and evolved through medieval literature into a commercial romantic holiday with cards and chocolates.
- On Feb. 14, the day began as a Christian feast honoring a saint, but today’s romantic holiday is largely separate from that feast.
- Geoffrey Chaucer, 14th-century poet, linked romantic love to Feb. 14, helping establish its association with love themes, according to legend. Britain regarded Feb. 14 as the start of spring and mating season.
- The mid-19th century launched many commercial Valentine traditions, including Victorian customs and NECCO's stamped Conversation Hearts, with Hallmark cards emerging in the 1910s.
- People began exchanging love letters on Feb. 14, with Cupid, son of Venus, as a symbol; the oldest known Valentine’s letter was written in 1415 in French.
- Despite date overlap, historians find no clear evidence linking Lupercalia to today's Valentine's Day, and the Church removed St. Valentine's feast from the Roman calendar in 1969.
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right0Center26Last UpdatedBias Distribution100% Center
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources are Center
100% Center
C 100%
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