There are several theories about the origin of this day that is celebrated worldwide, but the most concrete is that it comes from a pagan celebration of ancient Rome.

It was tradition to celebrate the Lupercalia that included fertility rituals. It was not until the year 496 AD that Pope Gelasius I changed the meaning of this celebration and established February 14 as Valentine's Day.

Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland. Wikipedia Commons

But who was Valentine?

Valentin was a priest who challenged the Roman emperor Claudius II, who forbade marriages to young soldiers because according to him this celebration was incompatible with the career of arms.

The priest considered this unfair and married them secretly. In the year 270 AD, when it was discovered that Valentine married couples in secret, he was beheaded on February 14.

From the fifteenth century began to make custom to write poems known as Valentines among lovers. Already in the nineteenth century, in Britain, began the mass manufacture of generic Valentine's cards.

Nowadays it is customary to give away chocolates, stuffed animals and roses.

Do not forget to share so that others know more about this wonderful day.