Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, [1] is celebrated annually on February 14. [2] It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine , and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. Valentine's Day is celebrated every year on Feb. 14. In 2025, the day falls on a Friday We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But The Feast of Saint Valentine, also known as Saint Valentine's Day, was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of the Christian martyr. [41] A shrine of Saint Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland. February 14 is Saint Valentine's Day in the Lutheran calendar of saints. [12] Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. Given their similarities, it has been suggested that the holiday has origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. England's King Henry VII officially declared February 14, the holiday of St Valentine's Day, in 1537; In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine's Day card This year, Valentine's Day falls on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Church sought to "Christianize" the holiday and used St. Valentine as its catalyst. By the late fifth century, Pope Gelasius I Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world on Feb. 14. Here's what to know about how the holiday got its start. Is Valentine's Day an Official Holiday? While Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world—in the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia, South Korea, France, Argentina, and Mexico, among other countries—it's no longer an official Catholic holiday. St. Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century, but has origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia. What are the historical origins and meaning of The first real association of St. Valentine’s Day with romantic love, or ‘love birds’, derives from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Parlement of Foules (or, ‘Parliament of Fowls’). Dating from 1382, Chaucer celebrated the engagement of the 15 year-old King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia via a poem, in which he wrote: For this was on St. Valentine It wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday. "The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a thousand years ago. It is not In 1537, St. Valentine’s Day was declared an official holiday by England’s King Henry VIII. Over the years, people began to send Valentine’s Day love letters using poems copied from booklets of verse. The first commercial valentine appeared in the early 1800s. In 1537, England's King Henry VIII officially declared Feb. 14 the St. Valentine's Day holiday. Technically, this was the first Valentine's Day, and the tradition has now been observed for more than six hundred years. As trends show, Valentine's Day will continue to rock for centuries. In 496 A.D February 14, was declared in the name of St. Valentine but it wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday. England's King Henry VIII declared February Valentine's Day is celebrated every year on Feb. 14. In 2025, the day falls on a Friday. King Henry VIII declared Valentine’s Day a holiday in 1537. Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St In 496 A.D February 14, was declared in the name of St. Valentine but it wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's day was declared an official holiday. England's King Henry VIII declared February An infamous king made Valentine's Day an official holiday. In 1537, England's King Henry VIII officially declared February 14 the holiday of St. Valentine's Day by royal charter. And yes, he is Did you know that Valentine’s Day was first declared an official holiday by King Henry VIII of England in 1537? Today Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Mexico, France and Australia. Did you know that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in countries around the world, including Korea? Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. an estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. King Henry VIII
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