Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day and who was Saint Valentine?

Each Valentine’s Day, millions of Americans gift their partners or loved ones with flowers, cards or candy as a token of their affections on Feb. 14. But while some see it as a commercialized “Hallmark holiday,” the occasion actually has ancient roots in Roman history and connections to Saint Valentine.

Valentine’s Day is the perfect chance to ask someone on a date or to cement a long-lasting commitment to a partner. It could also be a great day to set aside time for yourself or spend a meal with family and friends.

Some other Americans, though, rail against a day they feel is an over-commercialization of love, or the holiday might make them feel lonely if they aren’t in a pair.

A 2024 CBS News/YouGov survey found that 68% of Americans in relationships planned on celebrating Valentine’s Day last year, compared with 24% of those not in relationships. Overall, about half of Americans were expected to mark the day. 

Whether you adore or despise the occasion, you might find its deep and ancient-rooted history surprising.

Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? 

Since ancient Roman times, people have celebrated a loosely connected festival of love in the second week of February. However, the way people express their love this time of year is “conditioned by the historical circumstances they live in,” Yale professor of classics and history Noel Lenski told CBS News.

For about a thousand years, starting in the 5th century B.C., Romans celebrated a festival on the 15th of February called Lupercalia, commemorating the founding of Rome and the fertility god Lupercus.

This day was essentially a drunken, sexually charged festival at the Palatine Hill in Italy — where men would sacrifice a dog, and with its hide, would beat young women who wanted to be fertile — that lasted until the 5th century C.E. The most famous Lupercalia festival took place a month before Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 B.C. when Caesar famously rejected the crown offered by Roman general Mark Antony. 

After the Catholic Church became the dominant power in Rome, the empire became more “buttoned up,” as Professor Lenski characterized it. Pope Gelasius, I ended Rome’s Lupercalia Day in the 5th Century. Meanwhile, Christians began to hold a feast on Feb. 14 to celebrate Saint Valentine and the sanctity of marriage. Saint Valentine’s feast could have been a replacement for Lupercalia, but Lenski said there’s no hard proof of this.

A lot about this day is very mysterious. There’s a lot historians don’t know and where the dots always connect.

As culture shifted with time, so did Valentine’s Day and gift-giving began in the 14th century, Lenski said. The holiday grew more secular as people of that time seemed to consider the day about love, poetry and gifts.

“Valentine’s Day is characteristic of the place and time,” Lenski said. “It says more about the times than it does about Saint Valentine.”

Who was Saint Valentine? 

Lenski said Saint Valentine is more legendary than a real person– actually, two people. Two bishops are associated with Saint Valentine and both were martyrs “who died on behalf of the Christian church in the face of persecution from the Romans,” he said. One of the legends, Lenski said, is that a bishop secretly performed marriage ceremonies and a Pagan emperor of Rome killed him for doing so. 

Father Michael Clark of Saint Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Connecticut disagrees that there were multiple, legendary Saint Valentines. 

“I have seen his skull with my own eyes,” he said. 

Father Michael said Saint Valentine was one, very real person– or at least the man that the church honored with a feast was no legend. He said he did not know of the secret marriage ceremonies, but Valentine’s martyrdom for his religion is what strongly resonated with people. 

“Martyrdom, the giving up of your life, is uncompromising,” said Father Michael. “We want to think of our love as uncompromising, too.” He said the person we love is “someone we’d be prepared to give our all for.” 

The Song of Solomon 8:6 from the Bible reads, “love is stronger than death.” Father Michael said this quote summarizes why Saint Valentine’s message impacted people for so many years. Martyrs show people that love transcends one of the few things that unites us all, being alive.

While Saint Valentine’s feast is no longer celebrated on Feb. 14 by the church, the celebration of love in the U.S. has continued. 

Who or what is Cupid?

Cupid is not just a Valentine’s Day gimmick or cartoon character but also has its history in ancient Rome. Cupid comes from the Latin word Cupido, which means desire, and is the child and assistant of Aphrodite or Venus. Cupid shows us that erotic love has been with the human species since the beginning, said Lenski.

Love and desire, he said, are a never-ending theme in literature and human experiences. It has always mystified people and we still don’t understand it, truly, today. 

How do we celebrate Valentine’s Day in the U.S. now? 

Valentine’s Day has become a major commercial holiday in the U.S. and the love, or spending rather, keeps on growing. According to the National Retail Federation, consumers are expected to spend a record $27.5 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2025. The most popular gifts are likely to be candy, flowers and greeting cards, followed by an evening out and jewelry. 

But like the Romans or the British during the late Middle Ages, Valentine’s Day is a sign of the times for modern-day Americans, too. 

Lifestyle expert Kathy Copcutt told CBS News that the wildfires that ravaged the L.A. County area in January are impacting how her community is celebrating this year.

Copcutt said she and her 11-year-old are meeting with a group of her close friends and their kids for a low-key dinner this year about “celebrating life.” 

She said Valentine’s Day is also a great way to “step out” of the stresses of every day and simply gather with the people you love.

“I think this year it’s more about being surrounded by your loved ones and friends because, thank God, they all made it,” she said. “Property can be replaced, but friends and family cannot. I’m holding them all close.

Copcutt said she is calling the celebration with family “Falentine’s Day.” Another popular way to celebrate is doing a “Galentine’s Day” with friends. Copcutt suggests indulging in a high tea, which she said is very popular this year. 

She also emphasized self-love in 2025.

“If you can take any day out and take care of yourself, that’s great. But if you had to choose a day, I would say Valentine’s Day,” she said. ” Do not be afraid to be alone.” 

Father Michael said that people can’t love their neighbor if they don’t love themselves. So he also reminds people to “be good to yourself” on Valentine’s Day and every day. “You are inherently loveable.” 

Whether you’re celebrating with your kids, your partner, yourself or your friends, remember that a celebration of human love has almost always been around and one of the best days to bask in it is on Valentine’s Day.