Ahhh Valentine’s Day. We’ve come to know the holiday as a day of love, romance, get-togethers, and showing our appreciation for all those we hold close to our hearts. But it wasn’t always a day of outward affection or showering your loved ones with gifts and candy. In fact, it has a much more somber origin about sacrifice which allowed us to celebrate such an enchanting holiday. 

There are multiple stories about different men named Valentine, along with other legends, that we can connect to how the most romantic holiday was born. Unfortunately, all of the men met a tragic end, but their deaths weren’t in vain as their stories are teeming with love and selflessness.

The first story is about a priest named Valentine who served in Rome. Emperor Claudius II had outlawed marriage for his Roman soldiers. He believed soldiers were only at their best if they were single and didn’t have a spouse to distract them from their duties. Even though it was against the law, Valentine continued to secretly wed soldiers and performed marriages without the Emperor’s knowledge. When it was discovered what the priest was doing he was wrongfully sentenced to death by Claudius II.

Our second story exudes another example of sacrifice. A man named Valentine was imprisoned for helping Christians escape Roman prisons where they were mercilessly tortured and beaten. Once Valentine was trapped behind bars, he was struck by love when he saw his jailor’s daughter. She often visited Valentine in his cell and it wasn’t long until he fell in love with her. He would even write her letters and signed them, “From your Valentine.”

It wasn’t until the end of the 5th century that Pope Gelasius finally declared February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day in order to honor the martyred Valentine men during Roman rule. Once the Middle Ages came about, the holiday became more associated with love due to the common practice of courting and writing poems. 

February 14 was also known as the beginning of mating season for birds, which only added to the romance and the idea of finding love or a soulmate. Geoffrey Chaucer was actually the first person to record St. Valentine's day as a romantic celebration in the year 1375, with a poem named, "Parliament of Foules".

So as you hold your Valentine close this year and celebrate their dazzling presence, remember all of those beautiful souls who made it possible for us to have a day especially carved out to show some extra attention to our loved ones!