When did Valentine’s Day start?

Valentine’s Day has roots in the ancient Roman festival Lupercalia, celebrated from February 13–15. It became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages, partly due to Geoffrey Chaucer’s writings.

Who was the real St. Valentine?

There were several St. Valentines, but the most famous were Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. One secretly married couples against Emperor Claudius II’s orders and was executed on February 14, sending the first Valentine note signed “From Your Valentine.”

Why do we give roses on Valentine’s Day?

Red roses were sacred to Venus, the Roman goddess of love, and symbolize passion. On Valentine’s Day, Americans buy nearly 189 million stems of roses annually.

What are conversation hearts?

These tiny candy hearts have short love messages printed on them. Nearly 10 new sayings are added each year, like “Yeah Right” and “Call Home.” Fun fact: each heart can last up to 5 years!

What are some weird Valentine’s Day traditions?

In 1700s England, girls pinned bay leaves to pillows and ate eggs to dream of their future husband. In Germany, girls planted onions with boys’ names to predict who they’d marry. Mexico once set a record for the world’s largest group kiss on Valentine’s Day.

How did Valentine cards become popular in the U.S.?

The first American Valentine was made in 1834 by New York engraver Robert Elton. Esther Howland later popularized lacy Valentine cards in 1844, eventually selling thousands and earning over $100,000.

Are there alternative Valentine’s Day celebrations?

Yes! Quirkyalone Day and Single Awareness Day celebrate self-love and independence, offering an alternative to couple-centered traditions.

Do people spend a lot on pets for Valentine’s Day?

Americans spend over $1billion on Valentine gifts for pets, including treats, toys, and accessories.

Red was historically associated with blood, and people long believed the heart, not the brain, felt love. Egyptians even left the heart in mummies, thinking it was essential for the afterlife.

What’s the deal with Cupid?

Cupid is the Roman god of desire and son of Venus and Mars. Originally a young man who sharpened arrows on a bloody grindstone, he became the pudgy baby we know today in Victorian times.

What unusual Valentine’s Day customs existed in the past?

Victorians sent vinegar valentines to insult unwanted admirers. Medieval knights’ sweethearts gave ribbons for good luck, and garters and gloves were common Valentine tokens.

How did Valentine’s Day get tied to romantic love?

Besides Chaucer, historical records like the High Court of Love in 1400 Paris show the holiday involved legal rulings on love, betrayals, and disputes. Over time, it evolved into the romantic holiday we celebrate today.

Colorful valentines day heart decorations

60 Lovely (and Slightly Wild) Valentine's Day Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer—Reviewed for accuracy by the FactRetriever editorial team

Published February 5, 2026

Valentine’s Day isn’t just about roses and romance. It’s a strange blend of ancient fertility rituals, secret marriages, commercial empires, neuroscience, and customs that range from sweet to downright unhinged. From medieval matchmaking myths to modern dating science, these Valentine’s Day facts reveal how one of the world’s most romantic holidays became so profitable, so bizarre, and so enduring.

Wild & Weird Valentine's Day Facts

Valentine’s Day Has Roots in a Roman Fertility Festival
Roman festival Lupercalia (“festival of the wolf”) is considered to be one precursor to Valentine’s Day. Celebrated from February 13-15, it was a purification and fertility ceremony._[20]
Victorians sent “vinegar valentines” to insult unwanted admirers
These cruel cards mocked appearance, manners, or professions._[7]
Some zoos let people name cockroaches after their exes
On Valentine’s Day, certain zoos allow guests to watch the insect get fed to animals like meerkats._[6][20]
Valentine’s Day Was Once Banned in England
In 1653, English puritanical leader Oliver Cromwell banned St. Valentine’s Day customs as being immoral. Valentine’s Day wasn’t observed again until Stuart King Charles II was restored to the English throne in 1660._[20]
Breakups peak shortly after Valentine’s Day
Relationship stress and unmet expectations often lead to post-holiday splits._[15]
A kiss on Valentine’s Day is considered to bring good luck all year._[2]

In medieval Europe, people thought the day set the emotional tone for the entire year. So anything romantic that happened on Feb 14 (e.g. meeting someone, exchanging tokens, or yes, sharing a kiss) was seen as a good omen.

Birds Were Believed to Choose Their Mates on February 14
This medieval belief helped associate Valentine’s Day with romance._[2]
German Girls Planted Onions to Predict Their Valentine
In Germany, girls would plant onions in a pot on Valentine’s Day and place a boy’s name next to each. The first onion to grow was believed to reveal the boy they would marry._[20]
The Oldest Known Valentine Was Sent From Prison in 1415
The earliest surviving Valentine message was written by Charles, Duke of Orléans, while imprisoned in the Tower of London after being captured at the Battle of Agincourt. Addressed to his wife, the poem uses “Valentine” as a romantic term and is considered the earliest example of a Valentine’s Day love message. The manuscript survives today in the British Library._[7]
Wales has Exchanged Wooden Love Spoons Since the 1600s
Intricately carved spoons symbolizing love and commitment remain a traditional romantic gift._[23]
Lace Symbolizes Being “Snared” by Love
The word “lace” comes from the Latin laques, meaning “to snare or net,” as in to catch a person’s heart._[7]
Different flowers carry different romantic meanings
Red means love, yellow means friendship, and pink means friendship or sweetheart. Red carnations mean admiration, white carnations mean pure love, red chrysanthemums mean love, forget-me-nots mean true love, primrose means young love, and larkspur means an open heart._[20]
Cupid Was Not Always a Cherub
Early depictions showed him as a young man before the Victorian makeover._[20]
Ribbons on Valentine cards trace back to medieval tournaments
Knights wore ribbons from sweethearts for luck._[7]
Valentine's Day Around the World

Japan Turned Valentine’s Day Into a Chocolate Economy
In Japan, women traditionally give chocolate to men on February 14. Men return the favor on White Day, March 14._[13]
South Korea celebrates Black Day for singles
Observed April 14 with bowls of black noodles._[18]
Verona Receives Thousands of Love Letters to Juliet Each Year
Every Valentine’s Day, letters addressed to Juliet from Romeo and Juliet arrive in Verona, Italy, from around the world._[21]
Iran Has Periodically Restricted Valentine’s Day Gifts
Valentine cards, teddy bears, and other symbols have been restricted at various times as Western cultural imports._[8][10]
Mexico City Holds the Record for the Largest Group Kiss
Nearly 40,000 people participated in a Valentine’s Day kiss._[24]
Each year 300,000 letters go through Loveland, Colorado, to get a special heart stamp cancellation for Valentine’s Day._[7]
Love, Science, and Psychology

Romantic Love Activates the Brain Like an Addiction
Neuroscience shows dopamine surges similar to addictive behaviors._[14]
Red Is Scientifically Linked to Attraction
The color can raise heart rate and increase perceived desirability._[4]
Online dating activity spikes in early February
Valentine’s pressure fuels swiping._[16]
Why the Heart Symbol Represents Love
Red hearts are a ubiquitous Valentine symbol, because red was associated with blood. Long ago, people believed the heart (not the brain) felt love. The Egyptians even removed all organs except the heart when mummifying the dead, believing it was essential for the journey to eternity._[17]
Dark, Banned & Strange Valentine History

There Were Multiple Saint Valentines
Historians identify several martyrs named Valentine, adding mystery to the holiday’s origins._[9]

Because so little is reliably known of St. Valentine, the Catholic Church removed his name from the General Roman Calendar

The Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from its liturgical calendar in 1969
He was removed because there isn't enough reliable historical evidence about who he is and what he actually did_[20]
A Martyred Priest May Have Inspired Valentine’s Day Romance
Valentine of Terni was said to secretly marry Roman soldiers against Emperor Claudius II’s orders. After his execution on February 14, legend claims an almond tree bloomed near his grave, while birds began choosing their mates, possibly inspiring the idea of “love birds.”_[17]
The High Court of Love: 1400s Paris’ Love Tribunal
In 1400 Paris, the “High Court of Love,” composed of 30 women, was the first known official celebration of Saint Valentine’s Day. It ruled on love contracts, cases of betrayal, and even violence against women, showing that Valentine’s Day wasn’t always just about romance._[2]

Teachers receive the most, followed by children, mothers, and wives.

Deep History and Curious Firsts
Over 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year._[20]
Chaucer May Have Been the First Writer to Link Valentine’s Day with Romantic Love
The first recorded association of Valentine’s Day with romantic love occurs in Chaucer’s “Parlement of Foules.” Chaucer writes (in modern translation): “For this was on Saint Valentine’s day/When every bird comes there to choose his mate.” However, Chaucer may have been referring to Valentine of Genoa, whose saint’s day was May 2, a more likely time for birds to be mating than February 14._[19]
In Germany, pigs are symbols of love and good fortune on Valentine’s Day._[11]
February Gets Its Name From a Word Meaning “To Cleanse"
The word February comes from februa, Roman purification rituals._[3]
The Saying “Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve” is From the Middle Ages
Boys at this time would draw names of girls to see who would be their “Valentine” and then wear the name pinned on their sleeve for a week._[2]
Cards, Candy, and Commercial Love

Conversation Hearts Can Last Up to Five Years
These iconic candies date back to the 1800s and are reformulated yearly with new phrases._[7]

Every year, about 10 to 14 million pounds of Sweethearts are produced, which is about 4.8 billion to 6.7 billion individual hearts

The First Heart-Shaped Chocolate Box Appeared in the 1800s
Richard Cadbury created it to boost chocolate sales._[20]
Teachers receive the most Valentine’s cards, followed by children, mothers, and wives._[20]

The rose has historically been a symbol of love

Flowers, Symbols, and Love Language

On Valentine’s Day, nearly 200 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S.
The red rose was sacred to Venus, the Roman goddess of love._[22]
Valentine’s Day Is the Second-Busiest Restaurant Day of the Year
Only Mother’s Day surpasses it in reservations._[12]

Condom sales are typically higher around Valentine's Day

Condom Sales Increase 20–30% Around Valentine’s Day
Retailers consistently report seasonal spikes._[5]
Anthophobia is the fear of flowers
An unfortunate condition for Valentine’s Day._[1]
Shakespeare mentions Valentine’s Day in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and in Hamlet._[2]
Money, Pets, and Modern Love
Valentine’s Day Is a Multi‑Billion‑Dollar Industry
Americans spend billions annually on gifts, dining, and experiences._[20]
On Valentine's Day, American consumers collectively spend over $1billion on their pets._[12]
Nearly 10 new candy “conversation heart” sayings are introduced each year. Recent additions have included “Yeah Right,” “Puppy Love,” and “Call Home.”_[20]
“Valentine Writers” were booklets written in 1823 by Peter Quizumall to help those who couldn’t think up Valentine verses on their own._[7]
A True Love Knot, or Endless Knot of Love, was a very popular Valentine in England and the U.S. in the seventeenth century. As their name implies, these Valentines were drawn as a knot and could be read from any line and still make sense._[7]
Some of the oldest handmade Valentines are rebuses, which is Latin for “things” or “that which is indicated by things.” A rebus is a kind of puzzle or riddle, and the pictures indicate the meaning of the card. For example, a picture of a bee and a picture of a gold mine would indicate the sentiment “Be mine.”_[7]
Small pieces of mirror were sometimes used on the more expensive and elaborate Valentine cards produced during the golden ages of Valentine's (1830s-1850s). “Mirror” comes from the same Latin verb as “admire”: mirari, “to wonder.”_[7]
Pope Gelasius established Valentine’s Day in A.D. 500 in an attempt to appropriate the ancient pagan Roman fertility festival, Lupercalia, into Christianity._[17]
The Phrase “From Your Valentine” May Come From a Prison Letter
According to legend, Valentine of Rome defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on Christianity and was imprisoned. While in jail, children passed him notes through the window. Before his execution on February 14, he allegedly wrote a final message to the jailer’s daughter, signing it “From your Valentine.”_[17]
Welsh Folklore Treated Valentine’s Day as Lucky . . . and Unlucky
According to Welsh tradition, a child born on Valentine’s Day was believed to have many lovers. Animals born that day, however, were considered unlucky: calves were thought unfit for breeding, and eggs hatched on February 14 were believed to rot._[20]

Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de France, also known as “Madame Royale”, was the eldest child of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette

A French Princess Named Her Palace After Valentine’s Day
Madame Royale, daughter of King Henry IV of France, reportedly loved Valentine’s Day so much that she named her palace “The Valentine."_[7]
Valentine’s Day Love Rituals Once Predicted Marriage
In 1700s England, girls pinned four bay leaves to their pillows and ate a hard-boiled egg (shell included) on St. Valentine’s Eve, believing they would dream of their future husband. Others wrote boys’ names on slips of paper, sealed them in clay, and dropped them into water; the first name to float free was thought to reveal who they would marry._[2]
Victorian Children Once Went “Valentining” for Treats
children in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries would celebrate Valentine’s Day by going door-to-door singing songs and sometimes begging for cake or money._[2]
Early Valentine Gifts Were More Practical Than Romantic
Garters and gloves are traditionally popular Valentine tokens. The word “garter” comes from the Old French word garet, meaning “bend in the knee.” And “glove” is derived from the Old English word glof, meaning “palm of the hand.”_[7]
Birds Could Predict a Girl’s Valentine in Old Folklore
Traditionally, young girls in the U.S. and U.K. believed the first bird they saw on Valentine’s Day foretold their future husband: a blackbird meant a clergyman, a robin a sailor, a goldfinch a rich man, a sparrow a farmer, a bluebird a happy man, and a crossbill an argumentative one. A dove promised a good husband, but spotting a woodpecker meant she would remain unmarried._[20]
America’s First Valentine Was Made in 1834
The first American Valentine card was produced in 1834 by New York engraver Robert Elton, marking the beginning of Valentine card traditions in the U.S._[13]
Post Boxes Revolutionized Valentine’s Day Cards
In the late 18th century, the first European post boxes appeared in Paris, making it easier than ever to send Valentine cards and helping the holiday become a mass tradition._[13]
Esther Howland Popularized Valentine’s Cards in the U.S.
Howland (1828-1904) was the first person to create Valentines to sell in the United States. She first patented a lacy Valentine in 1844—and by 1860, her factory was selling thousands of Valentines, earning over $100,000._[7]
St. Valentine: More Than Just Lovers
Valentine is the patron saint of lovers and engaged couples. He is also the patron saint of epilepsy (which he is said to have suffered), plague, greetings, travelers, young people, and beekeepers._[2]