The Mystery of Valentine's Day: Why We Celebrate Love in February

2026-01-02 20:43:47

The Mystery of Valentine's Day: Why We Celebrate Love in February

Why did February 14 become the day of love? The answer is more surprising than you imagine: goat sacrifices in Ancient Rome, a priest sentenced to death for marrying lovers, and a 20th-century marketing strategy. Get ready to discover the real story nobody told you.

INDEX

From Fertility Rituals to the Christian Calendar

The Lupercalia: The Pagan Festival of Fertility

Thousands of years before chocolates and roses, Romans celebrated February 15 with the Lupercalia, a wild festival honoring Faunus, the god of fertility. The ritual was disturbing: priests sacrificed goats, smeared their skin with blood, and ran through the streets whipping women with the animal hides, who voluntarily attended believing this would grant them fertility.

But the most direct tradition came from Juno Februata, the goddess of love, where young singles drew names from a box to form temporary couples—many ending in permanent marriages.

The Priest Who Defied an Emperor

In the 3rd century AD, Emperor Claudius II banned young marriages. His logic was brutal: single soldiers fight better without families holding them back. But a priest named Valentine saw this as an injustice against love.

The Miracle in Prison

Valentine began secretly marrying couples. When captured, his story took a mythic turn: in prison, he restored the sight of Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer Asterius. Moved, Asterius and his family converted to Christianity. But it wasn't enough to save Valentine.

On February 14, 270 AD, the priest was executed. He died defending the right to love.

The Pope's Conspiracy and Official Disappearance

Gelasius I: The "Christianization" of February

In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I had a strategic idea: he established February 14 as Valentine's Day to replace the pagan Lupercalia. However, even he had doubts: he called Valentine one of those saints "whose names are venerated by men, but whose acts only God knows".

Removal from the Calendar

The legends were so unreliable that after the Second Vatican Council in 1969, the Catholic Church officially removed St. Valentine from the liturgical calendar. Since then, that day belongs to Saints Cyril and Methodius. But the symbol of love was stronger: Valentine remained in the martyrology

How Romantic Love Conquered the World

Chaucer and the Love Birds

The leap to romantic love happened in the Middle Ages. Geoffrey Chaucer, in The Parliament of Foules, wrote that February 14 was when "every bird comes to choose its mate," linking the date with spring and animal courtship.

From Handwritten Letters to Million-Dollar Business

The tradition of cards began in the 19th century, but it was Esther A. Howland in 1840 who mass-produced them in the United States. In Spain, the modern celebration arrived in 1948, imported by journalist César González-Ruano and businessman Pepín Fernández of Galerías Preciados, who saw a commercial goldmine.

February's Secret: Coincidence or Destiny?

We celebrate love in February because:

  1. Pagan tradition: Romans already honored fertility in this month

  2. Christian martyr: Valentine died for love on February 14

  3. Medieval poetry: Chaucer romanticized the date

  4. Mass marketing: The 20th century turned it into a commercial imperativ

The Church Admits: Symbol Over History

The Catholic Church today admits: perhaps Valentine never existed. But as historians argue, the symbol outgrew the history. That February day, when winter yields and spring emerges, we continue celebrating that love always finds its way.