Valentine’s Day is known around the country, and even the world, and the most romantic day of the year, people are given gifts such as chocolate, candy and flowers..

Despite its popularity, very few people know the true origins of Valentine’s Day. The origins of Valentine’s Day can be found in both the Catholic church, and ancient pagan beliefs.

In the Catholic church, there are believed to be three saints with names similar to Valentine, that were all killed in the name of their religion. One of those saints was a young priest Valentine, in the early third century Rome. When Emperor Claudius II outlawed the marriage of young male soldiers, Valentine continued to marry young couples in secret. This lead to Valentine being seen as a symbol for romance and love.

Another belief about the origins of Valentine’s Day comes from a Pagan festival held in mid-February. The festival was held in order to commemorate the death and burial of Valentine, around the year 270 A.D. The festival would include the sacrifice of a goat and a dog, and the blood from the animals was used as a way to guarantee fertility in the coming years for the women.

So far, nothing in the history of the so-called day of love sounds very romantic.

The date in mid-February wasn’t associated with love or romance until the middle ages, when in France and England, the date was commonly seen as the beginning of the mating season for local birds. From this came the idea that if the birds began to mate, it should be associated with romance for humans too.

Valentine’s Day is the second highest card-selling holiday of the year, following closely behind Christmas. Many men do not understand the need to exchange objects for romance, therefor causing 85% of all Valentine related paraphernalia to be bought by women.

Now, in the 21st Century, Valentine’s Day is typically celebrated with chocolates and flowers from a loved one, or if you don’t have a significant other handmade Valentines are often exchanged.