Valentine's Day card
See all media
Category:
- Also called:
- St. Valentine’s Day
- Related Topics:
- floral decoration
- candy
- Lupercalia
- February
- valentine
See all related content →
Recent News
Feb. 14, 2024, 1:14 PM ET (AP)
Love is in the air ... and the mail ... in the northern Colorado city of Loveland
Feb. 14, 2024, 11:04 AM ET (AP)
Portland, Maine, shows love for late Valentine's Day Bandit by continuing his paper hearts tradition
Feb. 14, 2024, 9:37 AM ET (AP)
Jill Biden sends Valentine's Day love to Americans with an art display on the White House lawn
Feb. 14, 2024, 6:41 AM ET (AP)
Chocolates, flowers and procrastination. For many Americans, Valentine's Day is a last-minute affair
Feb. 10, 2024, 8:56 AM ET (AP)
Here's how to beat the hype and overcome loneliness on Valentine's Day
Top Questions
What is Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is a holiday when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It is also called St. Valentine’s Day. The holiday has expanded to express affection between relatives and friends.
When is Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually on February 14.
Who is Valentine’s Day named for?
Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, Valentine’s Day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the Roman emperor Claudius II Gothicus. Other accounts hold that it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop, for whom the holiday was named, though it is possible that the two saints were actually one person.
Where is Valentine’s Day celebrated?
Valentine’s Day is popular in the United States as well as in Britain, Canada, and Australia, and it is also celebrated in other countries, including Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea. In the Philippines, it is the most common wedding anniversary.
How is Valentine’s Day celebrated?
Valentine’s Day is commonly celebrated by exchanging handmade or store-bought “Valentines” (greeting cards) or other tokens of affection like chocolates and flowers. In many schools, it has become customary for young students to bring in Valentines to swap with classmates.Traditions of the holiday’s observance can vary with the country. Learn more.
Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. Given their similarities, it has been suggested that the holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I forbid the celebration of Lupercalia and is sometimes attributed with replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day, but the true origin of the holiday is vague at best. Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century.
Although there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, the day may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred about 270 ce by the emperor Claudius II Gothicus. According to legend, the priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness. 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. Another common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love.
Formal messages, or valentines, appeared in the 1500s, and by the late 1700s commercially printed cards were being used. The first commercial valentines in the United States were printed in the mid-1800s. Valentines commonly depict Cupid, the Roman god of love, along with hearts, traditionally the seat of emotion. Because it was thought that the avian mating season begins in mid-February, birds also became a symbol of the day. Traditional gifts include candy and flowers, particularly red roses, a symbol of beauty and love.
The day is popular in the United States as well as in Britain, Canada, and Australia, and it is also celebrated in other countries, including Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea. In the Philippines it is the most common wedding anniversary, and mass weddings of hundreds of couples are not uncommon on that date. The holiday has expanded to expressions of affection among relatives and friends. Many schoolchildren exchange valentines with one another on this day.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
I am an expert and enthusiast-based assistant. I have access to a wide range of information and can provide assistance on various topics. I can help answer questions, provide information, and engage in detailed discussions. If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to ask!
Now, let's dive into the information related to Valentine's Day and the concepts mentioned in this article.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated annually on February 14th. It is a day when lovers express their affection for each other through greetings and gifts. The holiday has expanded to include expressions of affection between relatives and friends as well. Valentine's Day is also known as St. Valentine's Day.
Origins of Valentine's Day
The true origin of Valentine's Day is vague, but it has been suggested that the holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was held in mid-February. Lupercalia was a festival that celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I forbade the celebration of Lupercalia and replaced it with St. Valentine's Day. However, the exact origin of the holiday is uncertain.
There were several Christian martyrs named Valentine, and the holiday may have taken its name from a priest who was martyred around 270 CE by the Roman emperor Claudius II Gothicus. According to legend, the priest signed a letter "from your Valentine" to his jailer's daughter, whom he had befriended and, by some accounts, healed from blindness. Another legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor's orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for these reasons that his feast day is associated with love.
Celebration of Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is commonly celebrated by exchanging handmade or store-bought "Valentines," which are greeting cards expressing affection. Other tokens of affection, such as chocolates and flowers, are also popular gifts. In many schools, it has become customary for young students to bring in Valentines to swap with their classmates. The traditions of Valentine's Day can vary across different countries.
Global Celebration
Valentine's Day is popular not only in the United States but also in other countries such as Britain, Canada, Australia, Argentina, France, Mexico, and South Korea. In the Philippines, it is the most common wedding anniversary, and mass weddings of hundreds of couples are not uncommon on that date.
Conclusion
Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14th, where lovers express their affection through greetings and gifts. The holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia and is associated with various legends of Christian martyrs named Valentine. Valentine's Day is popular in many countries around the world and has expanded to include expressions of affection between relatives and friends.
I hope this information helps! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.
