Your Valentine's Day checklist probably includes chocolates, cards and a dozen red roses. So how did all this start?USA TODAY Network looks at the origins of a few of our most popular Valentine's Day traditions.
Valentine's Day
Ironically, the day when we celebrate love may have much darker origins. Ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia on Feb. 13-15. The feast involved animal sacrifices and whipping women, thought to make them more fertile, according to Noel Lenski, a historian at the University of Colorado-Boulder, in an interview with NPR.
But the first direct connection between St. Valentine's and the idea of love comes much later, in the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer, says Andy Kelly, an English professor at the University of California-Los Angeles, who wrote the book Chaucer and the Cult of St. Valentine.
Chaucer, best known for The Canterbury Tales, wrote a poem called "Parliament of Foules (Fowls)" in 1381 to honor Richard II's engagement, Kelly said.
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In the poem, St. Valentine's Day is celebrated on May 3 — not Feb. 14 — and represents "the day when all the birds choose their mates for the year," Kelly told USA TODAY Network.
"Quickly afterwards, within a generation, people took the idea of celebrating of St. Valentine's as a day of love," Kelly said.
The St. Valentine whom Chaucer was probably referencing was St. Valentine of Genoa, who died on May 3 and whose feast day was celebrated on May 2, according to Kelly's book. But people at that time were not
as familiar with St. Valentine of Genoa.
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Two St. Valentines — one of Rome and one of Terni — were martyred on Feb. 14, although in different years. The idea of St. Valentine and love became linked to this Feb. 14 date.
"The emphasis on the birds choosing mates for the year fell by the wayside because birds weren't around in February," Kelly said.
Cards
The British Museum in London has a Valentine dated from the 15th century, but it wasn't until the mid-19th century when Valentine-giving became popular in England, said Ann C. Colley, a distinguished professor of English at SUNY-Buffalo State. Read more..
MORE: In Pakistan, valentines are exchanged in secret
Two St. Valentines — one of Rome and one of Terni — were martyred on Feb. 14, although in different years. The idea of St. Valentine and love became linked to this Feb. 14 date.
"The emphasis on the birds choosing mates for the year fell by the wayside because birds weren't around in February," Kelly said.
Cards
The British Museum in London has a Valentine dated from the 15th century, but it wasn't until the mid-19th century when Valentine-giving became popular in England, said Ann C. Colley, a distinguished professor of English at SUNY-Buffalo State. Read more..
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