Each year on February 14th, many people enjoy exchange cards, candy, gifts, or flowers to each other. We even enjoy the Valentine’s Day, but not too many people knows about history of Valentine’s day. Who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from, or when did we started to celebrate Valentine’s day?

There is a lot of theory about where did the name ‘Valentine’ came from. According to History,the most popular theory about valentine’s day origin is that Emperor Claudius II didn’t want Roman men to marry during wartime. Saint Valentine went against it and perform the secret wedding, but when Valentine’s action were discovered, Claudius killed him.  

A long time ago, before the name ‘Valentine’s’, the Valentine’s day came from a pagan celebration named ‘Lupercalia’. According to the BBC, during Lupercalia, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their valentine. They’d be boyfriend and girlfriend during the festival and sometimes they’d get married.

Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400 B.C. According to the History, the oldest known valentines poem is written in 1415 B.C by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned. A few years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

Source:

https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16945378