13/02/2026
Valentine’s Day has a bit of a messy, fascinating past. It actually started with Lupercalia, a wild Roman festival focused on fertility that was more about ancient rituals than roses. Looking to "soften" the holiday, Pope Gelasius I rebranded it in the 5th century to honor St. Valentine, a Christian martyr.
The most heart-tugging story involves a 3rd-century priest named Valentine who secretly married soldiers when the Emperor forbade it. Legend says that before he was executed on February 14, he left a farewell note for his jailer's daughter, signed simply: "From your Valentine."
It wasn't until the Middle Ages that the day became truly romantic, thanks to poets like Geoffrey Chaucer who linked it to the mating season of birds. By the 1700s, people were exchanging handmade "valentines," paving the way for the global tradition of flowers and cards we see today.
