While some people believe that the history of this day is pretty clear, the reality is that the story behind St. Valentine’s Day is covered in a great deal of mystery. Valentine’s Day is not actually a modern holiday, but has been celebrated in the middle of the month of February for more than 1500 years. This day can be filled with opportunities to show people how much they are loved. But, think ahead (sometimes months ahead, depending on the popularity of the restaurant) and make a reservation for two at a romantic place. Whether it’s a romantic partner or just a friend, Valentine’s Day is a great day to say “I Love You”.By Thursday, work-week fatigue usually starts to set in, making a physical or emotional hug the perfect antidote to the midweek blues. Since Hug Day falls on a Thursday in 2026, you are entering the home stretch of Valentine’s Week. This day celebrates physical affection and the comfort found in a partner's arms. Because it's a mid-week workday, you don't need a grand event. Since Promise Day falls on a Wednesday in 2026, it serves as the emotional anchor of Valentine's Week. Since Teddy Day falls on a Tuesday in 2026, you’re right in the middle of the work week.Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid-19th century. Paper Valentines became so popular in England in the early 19th century that they were assembled in factories. — John Donne, Epithalamion Vpon Frederick Count Palatine and the Lady Elizabeth marryed on St. Valentines day At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt, 1415. Amid these festivities, the attending ladies would hear and rule on disputes from lovers.For the young and young at heart, it’s fun to make Valentine’s Day cards to send anonymously to a neighbor, someone in the nursing home, a good friend, or a family member! The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards. Around the year 1800, the first commercial cards appeared.From Lord Byron and Lady Lamb to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, these are 8 of the worst relationships of all time. From the origins of the box of chocolates, to the evolution of Cupid, discover 7 little known facts about Valentine's day, in this episode of History Countdown. In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. According to the Greek Archaic poets, Eros was a handsome immortal who played with the emotions of Gods and men, using golden arrows to incite love and leaden ones to sow aversion. But the Roman God Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology as the Greek god of love, Eros. During the Middle Ages, a common belief across France and England held that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be an occassion for romance.Today, according to Hallmark, more than 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions at a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. 270—others claim the Christian church might have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. While Valentine's Day is shared by lovers sharing time together, one of the first Valentine cards was sent from an enemy prison. Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated every February 14.Beyond being the second-largest card-sending occasion, this day of love is intertwined with fascinating practices and tidbits from history that illuminate the complexity and depth of human affection. Valentine’s gifts for men and women range from the traditional (flowers and chocolates) to the personalized and unique, reflecting the wide spectrum of love and friendship celebrated on this day. In Brazil, “Dia dos Namorados” is celebrated on June 12th, with music festivals and performances complementing the exchange of chocolates, flowers, and cards, showing how Valentine’s Day customs can adapt to different cultural calendars. The ubiquity of smartphones and the internet has transformed Valentine’s Day into a global festival of love, where expressions of affection are not just exchanged but also publicly celebrated, creating communal experiences of love and connection. Modern celebrations of Valentine’s Day weave together the timeless essence of love with the threads of technological advancement. In today’s world, Valentine’s Day has adapted to digital advancements, leveraging social media to broadcast love’s message far and wide, making the celebration more inclusive.By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine had become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. Find out about the meaning and history of Valentine’s Day, from the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring to the card-giving customs of Victorian England. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from?Across the ages, it remains a universal testament to the connections forged in love’s name. The tradition of exchanging Valentine’s cards has evolved from handwritten notes to digital messages. In the city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, thousands of letters addressed to Juliet are sent from all over the world. In Wales, lovers exchange intricately carved wooden “love spoons,” a tradition that dates back centuries, symbolizing affection and care.On the Julian calendar in use in Chaucer's time, February 14 would have fallen on the date now called February 23, a time when some birds have started mating and nesting in England. Jack B. Oruch notes that the date on which spring begins has changed since Chaucer's time because of the precession of the equinoxes and the introduction of the more accurate Gregorian calendar only in 1582. "For this was on seynt Valentynes dayWhan every foul cometh there to chese his makeOf every kynde that men thynke mayAnd that so huge a noyse gan they makeThat erthe, and eyr, and tre, and every lakeSo ful was, that unethe was there spaceFor me to stonde, so ful was al the place." However, this religious custom is recorded as early as the 13th century in the life of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, so it could have a different origin. While sometimes repeated uncritically by modern sources that men or boys drew names of women or girls from a jar to couple for the duration of Lupercalia, there is no ancient evidence for any kind of lottery or sortition scheme pairing couples for sex.This day has evolved from a historical remembrance into a diverse celebration of love, embracing not only romantic love but also platonic and familial bonds, and even the importance of self-love. Valentine's Day's transformation into a holiday about romantic love can be attributed to the Romantic English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. party favors on February 14 is a global holiday that traditionally celebrates romantic love. In order to counter the perceived denaturation of national culture, Dragobete, a spring festival celebrated in parts of Southern Romania, has been rekindled after having been ignored during the Communist years as the traditional Romanian holiday for lovers.The holiday was preceded by an ancient Roman festival, though two medieval poets and a Catholic pope are credited with its invention. Many schoolchildren exchange valentines with one another on this day. Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. Other accounts hold that it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, for whom the holiday was named, though it is possible the two saints were actually one person. Given their similarities, it has been suggested that the holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February.While the custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts originated in the UK, Valentine's Day still remains connected with various regional customs in England. Probably due to the association with Saint Valentine, amethyst has become the birthstone of February, which is thought to attract love. According to legend, in order "to remind these men of their vows and God's love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment", giving them to these soldiers and persecuted Christians, a possible origin of the widespread use of hearts on Saint Valentine's Day. John Foxe, a 16th-century English historian, and the Order of Carmelites state that Saint Valentine was buried in the Church of Saint Praxedes in Rome, located near the cemetery of Saint Hippolytus.While February 14 is widely celebrated with sweet Valentine's Day treats, heartfelt Valentine's Day gifts, and romantic dinners, few people are familiar with the holiday's true origins. Everyone loves a good love story, but the history of Valentine's Day is a bit different from the romanticized version of the holiday recognized today. As time passed, this day became one where lovers would exchange poems, cards, notes and flowers, singing songs and performing other romantic gestures. Today, it is marked by the exchange of cards, flowers, chocolates, and romantic gestures, but its history is far richer and more complex than many realise. In Finland, the day is more about remembering friends than romantic partners, known as “Friend’s Day,” making it a celebration of platonic love as well.We know of these stories through Roman literature such as poems by Catullus (84-54 BCE) which reflect his desperate hopes to be united with his lover, who was unhappily married to another man; a wishful thought that would never materialize. People did not always relate love with marriage in pre-Christian Roman society. Whether it simply toned down the elements of Lupercalia or it was a commemorative day for the martyrs of the early Christian era, we have no way of knowing. How Valentine’s Day became a thing, and that too in February – a month arbitrarily linked with courtship and romance, is a completely different story. Another version narrates that he was thrown into prison, where he lived out his last days and was visited by grateful couples who would bring him flowers. This created an unsurpassable legal barrier for young lovers who wished nothing but to be together.We’ve put together this list of the best Valentine’s Day quotes so you can ensure that the messages on this year’s cards, love letters, and Instagram captions are the best of the best. She covers holidays, celebrities and everything in between. Flowers are always nice, along with a romantic dinner or other thoughtful gesture. Since Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday this year, many couples would plan weekend getaways, candlelit dinners, or elaborate surprises to celebrate love. It's a day to express gratitude and appreciation for the loved ones in your life. Valentine's Day originated from the Roman Catholic Church's feast day for Saint Valentine, a martyr who symbolised love and devotion.