Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It may have had beginnings in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and other activities, but the origin of the holiday is vague at best. The history of Valentine's Day in Iran dates back to the Qajar era of the latter half of the 19th century. Naser al-Din Shah Qajar did not take his wife with him during his trip to Europe and he sent her a greeting card from distance on Valentine's Day. This greeting card is available in Iranian museums. [132] VALENTINE'S DAY HISTORY. Credit is traditionally given to Pope Gelasius for declaring February 14th as Saint Valentine's Day around the year 496 to separate the church from the Roman celebration of Lupercalia, an ancient pagan fertility festival that occurred on February 15th. Valentine's Day 2026. Sat, Feb 14, 2026 – 53 countries. Sat, Sep 19, 2026 – Colombia. Valentine’s Day on February 14 is a global holiday that traditionally celebrates romantic love. The holiday has taken a secular form in recent years and is celebrated in almost all countries worldwide. Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate true love What are the historical origins of Valentine's Day? Learn how romantic cards and chocolates helped commercialize this day of love. Date Accessed January 31, 2025. Publisher A&E Television List of dates for other years. Upcoming holidays in the United States. Holidays in the United States 2025. Holidays in the United States 2026. Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. Pope declared Feb. 14 as Valentine's Day in 5th Century Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively When is Valentine's Day 2024? Valentine's Day is observed each year in the U.S. on Feb. 14. This year, it falls on a Wednesday.. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. From the Library of Congress, Today in History - February 14, Valentine’s Day: “On February 14, Americans celebrate love and friendship by exchanging cards, flowers, and candy. Although the origins of Valentine’s Day are murky, ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a spring festival, on the fifteenth of February. Every 14th of February, Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated. Many consider this date to be a special day to strengthen the bonds Galentine’s Day occurs annually on Feburary 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. but the 13th of February is the official date of Galentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is filled with fun traditions, including decorating with paper hearts, trying heart-shaped food recipes, coloring everything red and pink, and giving Valentine’s Day gifts for In 1913 Hallmark Cards produced their first Valentine’s card, representing a key development in the commercialisation of Valentine’s Day. Valentine cards with a golfing theme, 1911. The left card was for the US market, the right card for the British market. Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. Holiday Date Days to Go; Valentines Day 2024: Wednesday, February 14, 2024-361: Valentines Day 2025: Friday, February 14, 2025: 5: Valentines Day 2026: Saturday Our current Valentine’s Day tradition and most poems of the day probably drew inspiration from the 18 th century English nursery rhymes: Gammer Gurton’s Garland (1734). 18 th Century to Present day Holiday Date Days to Go; Valentines Day 2024: Wednesday, February 14, 2024-360: Valentines Day 2025: Friday, February 14, 2025: 6: Valentines Day 2026: Saturday Holiday Date Days to Go; Valentines Day 2024: Wednesday, February 14, 2024-357: Valentines Day 2025: Friday, February 14, 2025: 9: Valentines Day 2026: Saturday Valentine's Day has quite the history. Learn about why we celebrate Valentine's Day, the meaning of the holiday, when Valentine's Day is this year, why Valentine's Day is on February 14, and more. St. Valentine, a name that is synonymous with love and romance across the globe, lived at a time when the Roman Empire was at its zenith. He is often best remembered for the act of marrying couples in secret defiance of the Roman Emperor's bans. However, the truth about St. Valentine is far more complex, woven from a mixture of historical fragments, religious tradition, and folklore. This has
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