Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love; whether that be romantic love, the love of friendship or the love of family.  Around 150 million cards are exchanged every year on this day, according to history.com.  However, few people really know the history behind this holiday.  

The history behind Valentine’s Day is kind of cloudy, but it all originated from Saint Valentine.  There were multiple saints in the Catholic Church named Valentine or Valentinus, and it seems to be an unlucky name, because three of them were martyred.  

St. Valentine of Terni was martyred for supposedly marrying young couples after it had become illegal for young men to marry.  His disobeyment of orders led to his death and his becoming the patron saint of love and marriages.  

Another legend states that a different Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter when he was imprisoned and that he sent her a card before he was put to death.  Some historians also speculate that it was put on Feb. 14 to replace the Pagan festival of fertility, Lupercalia.

This muddled history wouldn’t get in the way of Valentine’s Day becoming a big success, however. Handmade cards came about in the Middle Ages; cards which would later be manufactured commercially by Hallmark. Hallmark began to mass-produce valentines in 1913, turning the holiday into a dream for corporations who make chocolates, flowers, jewelry or anything else associated with the day of love. Although the martyrs are to thank for this day of love, it is really the big businesses who made Valentine’s Day boom.

This love-turned-corporate holiday is a date dreamed of by romantics, dreaded by lonely hearts and exploited by businessmen, but no matter how you celebrate Valentine’s Day, be sure to spend it with the ones you cherish most.