Holiday Dates

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Origin and History

St. Valentines Day's origin is shrouded in mystery and is clouded in legend. Some attribute the holiday's origin to the Roman holiday of Lupercalia (a fertility celebration that was celebrated on the 15th of February). Pope Gelasius turned this pagan festival into a Christian celebration in 496 and decreed that February 14th was St. Valentine's Day. However, there are three saints by that name and who Pope Gelasius was honoring is still a mystery. In 1969, the Catholic Church revised its calendar and proceeded to remove all feast days of questionable origin. St. Valentine's Day was one of the removed holidays. However, the celebration persevered throughout the years and evolved to eventually become associated with love.

Modern Celebrations

Today, Valentines Day is celebrated as a couples holiday with gift giving, going on romantic outings and exchanging handmade cards. Valentines Day greeting cards make up about 25% of all greeting cards sent out each year according to Greeting Card association. The commercialization of Valentines Day is considered to be a success and the religious origins and meanings have been all but forgotten.