Everyone remembers having a Valentine’s party in elementary school. You’d play fun games, do crafts, and most importantly, get candy. What a great time. But do people actually know the reasons for Valentine’s Day?

Valentine’s Day is on February 14th. This year, that’s a Friday. Valentine’s is most commonly associated with chocolate, romance, and the colors pink and red. But this national holiday has a history behind it that goes deeper than the colors and tastes of the day.

There are several different stories behind the holiday and no one is sure which one is actually true. The most common ones are all about someone named Valentine who was martyred. The Catholic Church recognizes three separate men, with the name Valentine, who contributed to the holiday, but there are two main stories about this man.

In one of the accounts, St. Valentine was a prison inmate that had become friends with the daughter of the jailor. The day was named for him because when he wrote the girl a letter, he signed it, “from your Valentine”. Some people say that this man also healed the girl of blindness, but again, no one is sure.

Another account tells of a bishop who goes against the king’s orders, and performed marriage ceremonies in secret. He does this so that the man will not have to go to war after the king decides that the soldiers will be better if they’re single. In order to follow through with this, the king bans all marriages so that the men will have to go to war.

The Valentine’s Day we’re all used to is fun and cute, but it can be cool to learn about the reasons behind the things we do and celebrate. Next time you celebrate a holiday, maybe stop to think about, or research, the history behind it.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day

https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2