Valentine's Day history

People across the world celebrate their loved ones in commemoration of Valentine's Day on Feb. 14 each year. However, people might not know why the holiday ...

[origins of Valentine’s Day](https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2), but the most recognized one follows the story of St. “In my elementary school, we decorated mailboxes out of shoeboxes and would put valentines and candy in them,” said sophomore Jayla Wilson. [Another legend](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day) is that a martyred priest signed a letter “from your Valentine” to his jailer’s daughter. People across the world celebrate their loved ones in commemoration of Valentine’s Day on Feb. However, people might not know why the holiday is so widely celebrated in the first place. [Roman festival “Lupercalia](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day),” which celebrated the coming of spring — including rituals of fertility rites, pairing couples through a lottery system andRoman priests sacrificing various animals for fertility and purification.

GUESTS: Elizabeth Nelson: Associate Professor of History, University of Nevada Las Vegas; Lindsey Weishar: Freelance Writer, The Catholic Post, Ploughshares, ...

["hidden history of Valentine’s Day." [The Catholic Post](https://thecatholicpost.com/category/columnists/), [Ploughshares](https://blog.pshares.org/author/lindseyweishar/), and Stamford-based [Verily](https://verilymag.com/author/lindsey-weishar); Poet [Elizabeth Nelson:](https://www.unlv.edu/people/elizabeth-nelson)Associate Professor of History, University of Nevada Las Vegas

Valentine's Day hasn't always been the chocolate-saturated, glitter-encrusted celebration we currently celebrate.