Valentine's Day | Definition, History, & Traditions - Britannica

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  • Introduction & Top Questions
  • What is the history of Valentine’s Day?
  • Who was St. Valentine?
  • How is Valentine’s Day celebrated?
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  • How did Valentine’s Day start?
  • Who is Valentine’s Day named for?
  • How is Valentine’s Day celebrated?
  • What was Lupercalia?
  • What happens during Lupercalia?
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Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day Young girl showing a heart-shaped Valentine card that she made in her classroom. (more)
Valentine’s Day social custom Ask Anything Homework Help Also known as: Saint Valentine’s Day, St. Valentine’s Day Written and fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Feb. 14, 2026 History Britannica AI Icon Britannica AI Ask Anything Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask Anything 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.

How did Valentine’s Day start?

The origin of Valentine’s Day is unclear but is often linked to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a mid-February celebration of spring that involved fertility rites and the pairing of men and women by lottery. In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia and is sometimes credited with replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day. The holiday did not become associated with romance until the 14th century.

Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is a day of romance when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. However, it became associated with romance only in the 14th century.

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.

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Valentine’s Day, holiday observed annually February 14, on which lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century.

(Read Britannica’s essay “Why Do We Give Valentine Cards?”)

What is the history of Valentine’s Day?

Given their similarities, it has been suggested that Valentine’s Day 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.

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Who was St. Valentine?

A vintage sepia-toned image of two women embracing.
Why the History of Valentine's Day is So ComplicatedWhat St. Valentine, an ancient Roman festival, and Geoffrey Chaucer all have in common.(more)See all videos for this article

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.

How is Valentine’s Day celebrated?

Valentine's Day card
Valentine's Day cardAmerican Valentine's Day card, c. 1908.(more)

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.

Also called: St. Valentine’s Day (Show more) Related Topics: floral decoration Valentine’s Day candy Why Do We Give Valentine Cards? Tu b’Av (Show more) See all related content

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 Tamanna Nangia.

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