There are many schools of thought about how we came to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Let’s take a look at how this famous day of love got started …
Most agree that on this day sometime between 269 and 273 AD in Rome, one of many Catholic Saints named Valentine died, thus marking February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day. But wait … if it started off as a Catholic holiday, how did it become a worldwide celebration of love?
Well, the sending of greeting cards (also known as “Valentines”) didn’t begin until 1847 in Britain, when a woman named Esther Howland started a small card business from her home. It gained such popularity that it is now the second largest card-sending holiday next to Christmas, with more than 1 billion greeting cards sent out in the U.S. alone.
Today, Valentine’s Day is first and foremost a celebration of romantic love, and the holiday has grown to include giving heartfelt gifts (usually from men to women), which began in the second half of the 19th century. But it’s not just for those in love — it’s also a day to remind family and friends how much you appreciate them.
