The Origins of Valentine's Day: A Surprisingly Dark Roman Tradition

Before heart-shaped sweets and pink everything, Valentine's Day evoked much different imagery. JeniFoto / Shutterstock

The origins of Valentine’s Day stretch back long before heart shaped chocolates and red roses filled store shelves. The history behind Valentine’s Day includes dark origins, muddled stories and a surprising amount of chance.

What began as a mix of ancient rituals, religious honor and poetic imagination slowly evolved into a widely celebrated holiday centered on romantic love.

Today, people celebrate Valentine’s Day with gifts, flowers, and candy, often wishing each other a simple “Happy Valentine’s Day.” That modern celebration looks very different from its ancient origins in Rome.

Contents

Ancient Rome and Pagan Festivals
Saint Valentine and the 3rd Century
The Catholic Church and Pope Gelasius
The Middle Ages and Romantic Love
From Poems to Mass Produced Gifts
Valentine’s Day in the Modern World

Ancient Rome and Pagan Festivals

Long before the holiday carried romantic connotations, ancient Rome marked February with a pagan festival tied to fertility. Participants engaged in rituals associated with fertility. These pagan rituals focused on fertility.

The festival took place in mid-February and involved ceremonies that modern readers might find unsettling. Over time, some later writers have suggested that Christian leaders sought to replace pagan practices with a feast honoring a Christian figure.

Saint Valentine and the 3rd Century

Several stories point to a person named Valentine living during the third century. One version describes a bishop or priest who defied a Roman emperor by secretly marrying young men and women.

According to legend, Emperor Claudius II believed unmarried men made better soldiers and banned marriages for young men.

Allegedly, Valentine refused to obey and continued performing weddings. His supposed actions led to imprisonment and execution, placing Saint Valentine at the center of the holiday’s story.

The Catholic Church and Pope Gelasius

In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius is sometimes attributed with recognizing Saint Valentine’s Day as a feast.

This move is sometimes described as helping the Catholic Church shift attention away from pagan festivals and toward Christian honor. The holiday took place in February, close to the older Roman celebrations.

At this stage, Valentine’s Day had little to do with romance. It functioned mainly as a religious observance rather than a celebration of lovers.

The Middle Ages and Romantic Love

The connection between Valentine’s Day and romance emerged during the Middle Ages. Writers and poets began linking the day to courtship and affection. Geoffrey Chaucer played a key role by writing about birds choosing mates on Saint Valentine’s Day.

William Shakespeare later reinforced the romantic theme through poetry and plays. His works include references to Saint Valentine’s Day.

From Poems to Mass Produced Gifts

By the 19th century, Valentine’s Day shifted again. Printed cards, gift boxes, and other gifts became widely available. Mass-produced valentines allowed friends, children and couples to exchange tokens of affection.

Over time, flowers and heart-shaped chocolates became standard. Red roses symbolized love, while other gifts offered a simple way to celebrate relationships.

Valentine’s Day in the Modern World

Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated around the globe. Some people focus on romance and marriage, while others honor family or friendships (as with Galentine's Day). The holiday continues to evolve, shaped by culture, commerce, and tradition.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.