Although Valentine’s Day isn’t recognized as a national holiday, it is definitely a significant celebration characterized by love and warmth. Lovers, friends, and families have the chance to exchange gifts like candies and flowers or even take an evening out.

The latest statistics reveal that Americans spend nearly $20 billion in total on this day and a whopping $654 million for solely gifting their co-workers. Even at my school, students purchase around $200 worth of grams for the special meaning behind exchanging small candies and writing letters. Through this, we can definitely see that Valentine’s Day is a timeless holiday that has a strong hold on our society.

However, what many people don’t know about Valentine’s Day is its dark and bloody origin. The day known for being romantic and festive actually traces back to the Roman holiday Lupercalia and the execution of two men. Lupercalia was a holiday of animal sacrifice, violence, and matchmaking during February 13-15. Also, around this time, two men both named Valentine were executed by Emperor Claudius II. This day of martyrdom came to be called St. Valentine’s Day. In the 5th century, these two days were combined to be collectively called St. Valentine’s Day.

As the Middle Ages came by, the meaning of St. Valentine’s Day became significantly closer to how it is known today. Chaucer and Shakespeare romanticized the holiday, and handmade paper cards became popular all over Britain.

And with the introduction of the signature Hallmark Valentine’s Day cards of the early 20th century, Valentine’s Day finally became the day of gift-giving that it is today.

With the 2019 Valentine’s Day coming up, remembering an unique origin of a commonly celebrated holiday might be quite important in our overall understanding of how holidays and celebrations come to be.

<Ashley Kim/ New Covenant Academy 11th Grade>