Happy Valentine’s Day! May your day be filled with love, and most importantly, candy! Many don’t know the importance of this sweet and lovely holiday, so this article will demonstrate how this holiday came to be.

The origins date back all the way to the Middle Ages in the Roman province of Africa, when a martyr named Valentine was executed for hosting marriages and engagements. This was banned by the Roman ruler Claudius, who had imprisoned him before martyring him. While in imprisonment, Valentine healed the daughter of the jailer’s blindness. Before his grim demise, he wrote her a compassionate letter signing it Your Valentine. This had occurred on February 14th of that year, which is why Valentine’s Day is celebrated on that exact date.

In reality, it’s unknown where St. Valentine came from or who he really was. At least three separate Saint Valentines, all of whom were martyrs in the Roman province of Africa, are listed in the early martyrologies on February 14th. One was a priest in Rome, the second was a bishop of Interamna (now Terni, Italy), and the third was the St. Valentine whose story was explained in the paragraph above.

Gradually, February 14 became a date for exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers and chocolates.

Hopefully you have learned something from this, and have a happy and wonderful Valentine’s Day!