VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL: Every year on Feb. 14, couples across the world exchange flowers, cards and declarations of love, celebrating what is now known as Valentine’s Day. Yet the origins of the day stretch back centuries — and are far more complex than heart-shaped chocolates and red roses suggest.
Long before Christianity spread across the Roman Empire, an ancient festival called Lupercalia was observed around Feb. 15. The celebration was rooted in purification and fertility rituals. Historical accounts describe ceremonies that included animal sacrifices and feasting, believed to ward off evil spirits and infertility. As part of the rites, mola salsa — salted grain cakes prepared by the Vestal Virgins — was offered during the rituals.
Young men known as Luperci reportedly cut strips of goat hide and ran through the streets, lightly striking people. Romans believed the act symbolically purified women and promoted fertility. Popular lore also claims that men drew women’s names from a box to pair up during the festival, though historians say there is no firm evidence to support this matchmaking tradition.
By the late fifth century, as Christianity strengthened its hold in Rome, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia. Instead, Feb. 14 was designated as a feast day honoring St. Valentine.
The story of St. Valentine, however, is layered with legend. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, at least three different martyrs bore the name Valentine. All were executed. One is said to have secretly married Roman soldiers who were forbidden to wed under Emperor Claudius II. Another was a priest killed for refusing to renounce his faith. A third, a bishop from Terni, was also martyred.
Over time, St. Valentine came to be regarded as the patron saint of lovers. By the late 14th century, literary and historical references began linking Feb. 14 with romantic love.
What began as a pagan fertility festival and later evolved into a Christian feast day gradually transformed into a global celebration of affection. The journey of Valentine’s Day reflects how traditions can shift across centuries — reshaped by faith, folklore and culture into the festival of love recognized today.
