Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love we all celebrate every February fourteenth. We exchange cards, flowers, and candy to show each other how much we appreciate them, but have you ever wondered how valentine’s day came to be?

Valentine’s Day is of christian and Roman origin, surrounding the stories of a few Saint Valentines, as Valentine was a very common name back then. Long ago during the third century Emperor Claudius II decided single men fought better than married men and, therefore, wanted more single soldiers. To solve this problem Claudius outlawed all marriages. The most accepted story of Saint Valentine is that of a priest (Valentine) who recognized the Emperor’s decree as an injustice and married men off in secret. Once Emperor Claudius found out about this he ordered Saint Valentine to death instantly! Another legend is of an imprisoned Valentine who sent the first valentine. Writing to most likely the jailor’s daughter who visited him frequently, the saint ended with the common phrase, “From your Valentine.”

Although people began celebrating Saint Valentine’s Day to most likely honor the Saint Valentines who were martyred, it wasn’t quite associated with love until later, the end of the fifth century. At this time many people believed February was the month of romance and that the birds’ mating season began on February fourteenth. But the first poet to ever document Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday is Geoffrey Chaucer writing, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

Since 1400 written valentines started to become popular and normalized on Valentine’s Day, the earliest dating back to 1415. It was a short poem by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned after getting captured in battle. Only a few years later it’s said that King Henry V hired a writer to write a valentine to Catherine of Valois.

The history of Valentine’s Day is made of so many different people who contributed to the Valentine’s Day we know now. They gave us the day we all celebrate the day dedicated to telling each other just how much we love them!