Valentine's Day
Every year on February 14, people celebrate St. Valentine’s Day by exchanging cards, candy or flowers with their special "valentine." The holiday, named after a Christian martyr, dates back to the 5th century but has roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia.
Start Here
There were multiple St. Valentines, but their romantic legacies are more fiction than fact.
The ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia involved fertility rituals, but its influence on Valentine’s Day is no perfect match.
Chocolates and roses are common ways to mark Valentine's Day, but there are other, lesser-known traditions to commemorate the holiday.
Rather than expressing love and affection, these cards were designed to offend.
The First Valentine
History Shorts: The First Valentine
While Valentine's Day is shared by lovers sharing time together, one of the first Valentine cards was sent from an enemy prison.
Explore All Related Topics
A Boston pharmacist and his brothers invented the original conversation candy heart.
The holiday was preceded by an ancient Roman festival, though two medieval poets and a Catholic pope are credited with its invention.
St. Valentine is thought to be the patron saint of lovers. The truth is more complicated.
The ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia involved fertility rituals, but its influence on Valentine’s Day is no perfect match.
Discover the essence of Valentine's Day: delve into its true meaning, explore its rich history and origins.
The religious origins of the holiday don’t stem from the Bible.
There were multiple St. Valentines, but their romantic legacies are more fiction than fact.
The historical origins and meaning of Valentine’s Day is as rich as the cards and chocolates people exchange on the holiday.
The Roman Empire regularly persecuted Christians like St. Valentine.
Who was St. Valentine, and why do we celebrate him on February 14? Get the facts about this enigmatic character.
Think acronyms are a product of the digital era? Think again.
From Shakespeare to Aristotle to Dr. Seuss, see how writers through history have expressed the power of love.
Read about the love and strength that fueled the enduring romances of Bess and Harry Truman, Elizabeth and Robert Browning and Jackie and Rachel Robinson.
'Mental Hygiene Films' helped guide teens through the tough questions, like how to decide which girl to ask to the carnival and the proper way to end a first date.
The love between these famous couples really did change the world.
The world got to see a different side of Richard Nixon when his gushing, ardent love letters went on display at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in 2012. Find out more about these missives as well as other passionate presidents who penned doting dispatches.
